A strong earthquake rattled Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday afternoon, the US Geological Survey said, forcing residents into the streets in Kabul and Islamabad. The 6.1-magnitude quake hit around 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Jurm in northern Afghanistan and was over 200 kilometres deep, the USGS said. In both capital cities, residents felt two short tremors in quick succession, however there were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake could be felt as far away as New Delhi, residents there reported, while in Lahore, panicked people came onto the streets and got out of their cars.
The quake's epicentre was in a sparsely populated, remote mountain area in Badakhshan province in the northeast of Afghanistan. The USGS estimated there would be few economic losses from the quake, with "a low likelihood of casualties and damage."-AFP
APP adds: According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the epicentre of the earthquake was Hindukush region in Afghanistan with a depth of 210 kilometres.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the intensity of the earthquake was felt in Nothern Areas, where it created serious jolts. However, no loss of life or property was reported till filing of the report.
"The earthquake shakes were felt across the country whereas the Northern Areas observed most of the effects," the NDMA said in its press release.
"The epicentre of the earthquake is 210 kilometre in Budakshah, Afghanistan. NDMA is in contact with all the authorities concerned where no property damages or life losses have been reported in the country," it added.
Our Peshawar correspondent reported that the earthquake rattled various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Buner, Swat, Shagla, Dir, Chitral, Kohistan and Hazara region.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the strong earthquake rocked Afghanistan and Pakistan Friday afternoon.The 6.1-magnitude quake hit 51 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Jarm in northern Afghanistan and was 210.2 kilometres deep, USGS said. In the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the residents felt two severe jolts in quick succession.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019