Strong earthquake felt across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

Reports of panic and reciting of the Qur’an

A strong earthquake lasting for at least 30 seconds was felt across much of Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India on Tuesday night, with the US Geological Survey putting its magnitude at 6.5.

“People ran out of their houses and were reciting the Qur’an,” an AFP correspondent in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi said, with similar reports coming from elsewhere in the country and Afghanistan.

Focus on the epicentre

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred near Jurm in north-eastern Afghanistan and had a depth of 187 km (116 miles).

Tectonic plates a factor in earthquakes

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Previous deadly quake in the region

More than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless after a 5.9-magnitude quake – the deadliest in Afghanistan in nearly a quarter of a century – struck the impoverished province of Paktika on 22 June last year.

Credit: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/21/people-flee-homes-earthquake-pakistan-afghanistan-india-jurm

ENND