Earthquake tremors jolt Pakistan

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Hindukush region of Afghanistan, triggering tremors in most parts of Pakistan. 

According to reports, a two-year-old girl died while three injured in the wake of powerful quake that struck the region. The casualty occurred in Balochistan’s Lasbela district where the roof of a decrepit house collapsed after the quake. The quake rattled the country at 12.06 pm (Pakistan time).

The quake struck 270 km (167 miles) northeast of Kabul in the Hindu Kush mountains, at a deep 180 km, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. While the epicentre of the quake was located 35 kilometres south of Jarm, on Afghanistan-Tajikistan Border Region, as per the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The tremors lasted for around 15 to 20 seconds.

Strong tremors shook Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Jhelum, Nankana, Minawali, Chiniot, Abbotabad, Muzaffarabad, Lasbela, Safdarabad, Sharaqpur and Mianwali.

 

The tremors were also felt in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and eastern Uzbekistan.

 

The past horror

On October 26, 2015 a 7.5 magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing more than 390 people in total. In Pakistan, at least 276 people had perished in the calamity.

Pakistan had confirmed death toll at 272, with 2,227 people injured and nearly 25,000 homes damaged, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

More details to follow