EARTHQUAKE WARNING: Magnitude 8 tremor 'that will hit a million people is COMING'

URGENT calls to strengthen buildings amid claims a magnitude 8 earthquake or stronger is on its way, have been made.

Narinder Nath Vohra, the governor of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, is urging Mehbooba Mufti, chief minister of the region, to sound the alarm and order emergency preparations ahead of it striking, amid claims the area is "completely unprepared for the worst".

He fears countless lives will be lost unless action is taken. 

Mr Vohra has written to Mrs Mufti stressing the state is largely within seismic zone V and "our people had, as recently as in the 2005 earthquake, suffered considerable losses."

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Major concerns: Narinder Nath Vohra

He pointed to the lack of response of the administration to devastating floods in September 2014 and expressed concern that "we were totally unprepared on all fronts".

Mr Vohra called for the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to take urgent action to strengthen structures to reduce the risk of major collapse.

He also called for "non-structural mitigation measures to reduce the risk vulnerability in every part of the State, particularly the two capital cities and all the other densely populated high risk urban areas."

The governor wants new policies in place for new builds and retro-fitting of existing structures to improve stability, "particularly hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, railway stations, airports and buildings housing important government offices". 

Our people had, as recently as in the 2005 earthquake, suffered considerable losses.

Narinder Nath Vohra, the governor of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir

The last major earthquake to hit the region was in 2005, when a 7.6 magnitude tremor struck the Pakistan part of Kashmir.

It centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, but affected Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Indian Jammu and Kashmir state. 

The death toll was estimated from 87,350 to more than 100,000, including 19,000 children after schools collapsed.

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Around 138,000 more people were injured and a staggering 3.5 million people left homeless. 

Mr Vohra said the SDMA must hold urgent meetings and set a time frame for each District Disaster Management Authority to comply. 

He added: "This should be followed by regular conduct of mock drills in schools, colleges and at various public places throughout the State, involving all stakeholders and the public at large."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/674598/EARTHQUAKE-WARNING-Magnitude-8-tremor-that-will-hit-a-million-people-is-COMING