11 killed, over 200 injured as strong earthquake rattles Pakistan, Afghanistan

More than 200 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley and elsewhere in the region of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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Kabul/Islamabad: Atleast eleven people died and more than 200 injured in Afghanistan and Pakistan following a powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, which was also felt across north India.

According to the US Geological Survey, Tuesday night’s earthquake struck 40 km southeast of Jurm town in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province. It was 187.6 km deep, reports CNN.

At least nine people died in Pakistan and two in Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday

More than 200 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley and elsewhere in the region of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a state of shock, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency services told The Associated Press.

The nine people who died in northwest Pakistan included five men, two women and two children.

Ensuing landslides have also blocked roads in the city of Abbotabad as well as the Karakoram Highway in the Harban area of Kohistan, CNN quoted the spokesperson as saying.

Major Pakistani cities, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Haripur, Mardan, Chitral, Charsadda, also felt the quake.

Videos from Islamabad show panic-stricken people, especially those living in high-rises, rushing out of their homes, reports Dawn news.

According to initial reports, cracks appeared in the Al-Janaat Mall in Rawalpindi and buildings in Islamabad.

The tremors were felt strongly across north India, from Kashmir to Delhi-NCR and reports poured in on social media about people reporting fans and appliances swaying due to the strong tremors while many ran out of their houses.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the magnitude 6.5 quake was 40 kilometers (25 miles) south-southeast of Jurm in Afghanistan’s mountainous Hindukush region, bordering Pakistan and Tajikistan. The quake struck 188 kilometers (116 miles) deep below the Earth’s surface, causing it to felt over a wide area.

Also Read: Earthquake in India soon? Dutch researcher predicts seismic activity

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