People, Environment
0

Quake Shakes Afghanistan, Pakistan, India

Quake Shakes Afghanistan, Pakistan, India
Quake Shakes Afghanistan, Pakistan, India

A 5.9-magnitude quake struck northern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, jolting New Delhi, parts of north India, and Pakistan according to local reports.

The tremor struck 22 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of Ashkasham, 300 kilometers northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul, at a depth of 92.4 kilometers.

An Afghan official says the epicenter of a magnitude-5.9 earthquake was in a remote and sparsely populated region near the country’s borders with Pakistan, China and Tajikistan.

Mohammad Aslim Sayas, deputy director of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said on Monday there have not yet been any reports of casualties or damage, AFP reported.

The quake, which occurred at 02:16 am local time (1816 GMT), was felt across northern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan and in the Indian capital.

In October a 7.5-magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing almost 400 people and flattening buildings in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.

For many in Pakistan, October’s quake brought back traumatic memories of a 7.6-magnitude quake that struck in October 2005, killing more than 75,000 people and displacing some 3.5 million.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In Nepal a quake in April and a strong aftershock in May killed more than 8,900 people.

Financialtribune.com