Earthquake in northwest Pakistan kills at least 17 people, dama

ABBOTABAD, Pakistan-- Two earthquakes struck a remote region of northern Pakistan on Saturday, toppling walls and triggering landslides that killed at least 17 people and injured 30 others. Some 150 homes were damaged.

At least one person was reported missing. Rescue crews were trying to reach the area in the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range, which is covered by a thick blanket of snow. Officials feared the death toll may rise as temperatures plunged overnight.

The temblors, measuring 5.7 and 5.5, were about 90 minutes apart, with the first striking at 3:30 p.m. They were centered 125 miles northeast of Peshawar and were felt 90 miles away in the capital, Islamabad.

Authorities have sent doctors and police teams to remote villages to provide relief and assess damage, said Syed Ahmed Hussain, the mayor of Mansehra district.

Thirteen people were killed when the truck they were riding in was struck by a boulder loosened by the second tremor, sending the vehicle into a river in the Batgram district, said Adam Khan, a local police official.

Two of the injured -- a woman in a coma and another with a broken leg -- were brought to the Ayub Hospital in Abbotabad, the largest town in the quake zone.

"I was sitting in my house and all of a sudden I heard a thunderous sound and a great tremor," said Shakila Nasreen, a mother of nine who broke her leg as the roof caved in on her simple home.

Nasreen said she dragged herself out of the house and to safety. Her children were all at school at the time of the quake and were unharmed.

Landslides had blocked the main road in Batgram, hindering rescue efforts. In the village of Shamlai, a falling wall struck and killed a 10-year-old boy, Khan said.

In Jabori, a village in the neighboring district of Mansehra, a man died when his roof collapsed, said local police official Hayyat Khan. The minaret of a mosque was destroyed.

Two other deaths were reported in Mansehra -- a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy whose homes collapsed. A 4-year-old boy was reported missing in the same area, feared trapped under the debris of his home, Khan said.

Hospitals were treating 30 others with injuries, officials said.

About 70 homes in Anghrai and another 40 homes in Paras villages were reported to have been seriously damaged, but the extent was not immediately known. The rest of the damaged homes were in surrounding areas. Most homes in the region are built of mud, stones and timber.

Officials said the full extent of the damage may not be known until Sunday as rescue teams report from far flung areas.

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Associated Press reporter Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.