A strong 5.8 magnitude tremor has hit the Pakistani capital Islamabad and other cities in the eastern Punjab province, leaving at least 19 people dead and 300 injured, officials said.

The earthquake was also felt in Lahore, Peshawar and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, with people rushing into the streets in case of further tremors.

Footage of destruction in Mirpur, a city in Pakistan’s Azad Kashmir region, showed chasms torn several feet deep into roads, with cars and buses overturned.

Dozens of homes and shops were destroyed by the tremor, while some villages were submerged in water after a breach at a canal, reports said.

“Our whole concentration right now is to accelerate the rescue operation,” Raja Farooq Haider, prime minister of Azad Kashmir told GNN TV.

Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits Show all 14 1 /14 Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits A damaged road caused after an earthquake with the epicenter in Mirpur, hit Pakistani EPA/STR Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits The powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan's capital and other cities in the eastern Punjab province EPA Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits Injured people receive medical treatment at a hospital in Jhelum EPA Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits At least eight people are dead and 100 injured, officials said Reuters Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits Kashmiri men look towards a buildings following tremors in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. A powerful 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeast Pakistan on Tuesday, damaging dozens of homes and shops and killing at least six people and injuring over 100, officials said. According to state-run Pakistan Television, four children were among the dead in Mirpur, a town in Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) Mukhtar Khan AP Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits People stand outside their offices after an earthquake is felt in Islamabad AP Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits epa07866160 A view of damaged road caused after an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude with epicenter in Mirpur, Pakistani administered Kashmir, 24 September 2019. According to initial reports at least 6 persons were killed and dozens injured in the incident. EPA/STR BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE STR EPA/STR Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits Many people rushed out of multistory buildings and homes after it struck EPA Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits epa07866154 People come out of their offices and shops after an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude with epicenter in Mirpur, Pakistani administered Kashmir, in Lahore, Pakistan 24 September 2019. According to initial reports at least six persons were killed and dozens injured in the incident. EPA/RAHAT DAR RAHAT DAR EPA Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits People gather outside their office building after an earthquake is felt in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. A powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake has struck Pakistan's capital Islamabad and other cities in the eastern Punjab province, scaring many people who rushed out of multistory buildings and homes. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Anjum Naveed AP Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits People stand outside their office AP Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits People stand outside their office AP Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits People stand outside their office AP Pakistan earthquake: Powerful 5.8 magnitude tremor hits People stand outside their office AP

“There are people who are stuck there and who need immediate help. We are putting in all our resources to get people the best of our help.”

Pakistan’s meteorological department said that according to its preliminary assessment, the epicentre of the 5.8-magnitude quake was located near the mountainous city of Jehlum in the Punjab province.

Pakistan Armed Forces spokesperson major general Asif Ghafoor said an immediate rescue operation had been launched, with aviation and medical support teams dispatched.

Several people who had reached hospital were in a critical condition, Mirpur’s district police chief Irfan Saleem said.

“I was sitting in my shop when suddenly the walls started swaying,” one shop owner told Pakistan’s Geo News channel, from a street littered with debris from damaged buildings.

“I knew that it is a strong earthquake. The moment I came out of my shop, its roof caved in.”

The last major earthquake in Kashmir happened in 2005, killing more than 80,000 people. More damages are expected to be reported in the days to come.