Moderate earthquake jolts Pakistan, Afghanistan
Posted 2 hours 52 minutes ago
A moderate earthquake deep in the Hindu Kush mountain range has jolted parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but there were no reports of injuries or damage, officials said.
A Pakistani official described a "high-intensity" quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey - which monitors earthquakes around the world - reported a 5.7 magnitude quake in the area.
The epicentre was on the Afghan side of the Hindu Kush mountain range, and Pakistan's chief meteorologist Riaz Khan said the remote location of the earthquake saved both countries from major damage.
Tremors were felt at 4:21am (local time) in north-western Pakistan, with frightened residents of regional capital Peshawar waking up and spilling onto the streets as the ground shook beneath them, an AFP reporter said.
"It was a high intensity major earthquake which lasted for several seconds," Mr Khan said.
"The fault line was in an unpopulated area and fortunately we have no reports of any type of damage."
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 175 kilometres north-east of the Afghan capital Kabul. The epicentre was about 144 kilometres west of Pakistan's Chitral district, Mr Khan said.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005, killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of the country's North West Frontier Province.
Posted 2 hours 52 minutes ago
A moderate earthquake deep in the Hindu Kush mountain range has jolted parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but there were no reports of injuries or damage, officials said.
A Pakistani official described a "high-intensity" quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey - which monitors earthquakes around the world - reported a 5.7 magnitude quake in the area.
The epicentre was on the Afghan side of the Hindu Kush mountain range, and Pakistan's chief meteorologist Riaz Khan said the remote location of the earthquake saved both countries from major damage.
Tremors were felt at 4:21am (local time) in north-western Pakistan, with frightened residents of regional capital Peshawar waking up and spilling onto the streets as the ground shook beneath them, an AFP reporter said.
"It was a high intensity major earthquake which lasted for several seconds," Mr Khan said.
"The fault line was in an unpopulated area and fortunately we have no reports of any type of damage."
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 175 kilometres north-east of the Afghan capital Kabul. The epicentre was about 144 kilometres west of Pakistan's Chitral district, Mr Khan said.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005, killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of the country's North West Frontier Province.
