A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan on Thursday afternoon, sending tremors across parts of Pakistan and India, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
The epicenter was 45 kilometers from Jurm village in northeastern Afghanistan and was centered at a depth of 206 kilometers, the USGS said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The temblor was felt in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, and in the major cities of Lahore, Peshawar and Muzaffarabad in Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Earthquake tremors shook parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region, triggering panic among residents. "Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.1, Occurred on 11-01-2024, 14:50:24 IST, Lat: 36.48 & Long: 70.45, Depth: 220 Km ,Location: Afghanistan," said National Center for Seismology in a post on X.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), a 6.0 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan, sending tremors through Islamabad, Lahore and its surrounding areas, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Sahiba Bibi, a woman who lives on the outskirts of Islamabad, said she was preparing for prayers when she suddenly felt the ground shaking. “We quickly came out of our home and we saw some other people also standing outside their houses,” she said.
Residents in the northwestern city of Peshawar also said they went out of their homes and offices after feeling the earthquake.
“I knew that it should not be less than magnitude 6 when I felt the earthquake as we have felt strong earthquakes in the past,” said Mohammad Khan, 65, in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency services in the northwest, told The Associated Press that police and rescue officials were ordered to alert the emergency services about any damage caused by the earthquake.
“So far, there has been no reported damage from the earthquake, though the earthquake was so strong that it terrified many people who came out of their offices and houses in Peshawar and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” he said.
Authorities in Kashmir said the earthquake caused no damage, but some panicked people came out of their homes and offices protectively.
Pakistan and the region, which sits along an active continental plate boundary, are often hit by earthquakes.
A magnitude 7.6 quake in 2005 killed thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir.
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