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Afghanistan and Pakistan Hit by Huge Earthquake Afghanistan and Pakistan Hit by Huge Earthquake
(about 1 hour later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — A deadly earthquake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday, afternoon, registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and causing heavy damage in one of the world’s most impoverished and war-torn regions.KABUL, Afghanistan — A deadly earthquake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday, afternoon, registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and causing heavy damage in one of the world’s most impoverished and war-torn regions.
At least 74 people were reported killed, with 52 of them in Pakistan so far, but that figure seemed likely to rise significantly. At least 122 people were reported killed, with 100 or more of them in Pakistan, and that figure seemed likely to rise significantly, officials in both countries said.
The quake, which struck at 1:39 p.m., was centered in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 28 miles southwest of the district of Jurm in Afghanistan and about 160 miles northeast of Kabul, the nation’s capital. The quake’s depth was reported at 132 miles, the United States Geological Survey said, and its effects were felt as far away as New Delhi. The quake, which struck at 1:39 p.m., was centered in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 28 miles southwest of the district of Jurm in Afghanistan and about 160 miles northeast of Kabul, the Afghan capital. The quake’s depth was reported at 132 miles, the United States Geological Survey said, and its effects were felt as far away as New Delhi.
People poured into the streets of Kabul, where buildings shook for at least two minutes, and similar scenes played out in Islamabad and Peshawar, in Pakistan. People poured into the streets of Kabul, where buildings shook for at least two minutes, and similar scenes played out in Islamabad and Peshawar, in Pakistan. Officials in both countries declared emergencies, and military units were ordered to join in the response.
Reverberations were felt across several provinces in Afghanistan, particularly in northern areas that had already been in turmoil because of a widespread Taliban offensive. The shaking damaged communication lines, making initial damage difficult to assess. In Pakistan, provincial authorities in the city of Peshawar said that at least 63 people had been killed in surrounding Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. Severe tolls were also expected in other remote regions of the north, including in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas, but no immediate confirmation of exact numbers was available because a breakdown in communications systems.
The country’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, called an emergency meeting of senior officials to respond to the disaster. Reverberations were felt across several provinces in Afghanistan, particularly in northern areas that had already been in turmoil because of a widespread Taliban offensive. There, too, the shaking damaged communication lines, making initial damage difficult to assess.
“This is the strongest earthquake that has happened in our country in recent years,” Mr. Abdullah said, warning of the possibility of aftershocks. In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, people ran out in the open as the earthquake rattled the city. Panic was widespread in neighborhoods where high-rises and multistoried apartment blocks are, and hundreds of shopkeepers and customers swarmed the main avenue in Blue Area, a commercial neighborhood.
In the northern city of Peshawar, Mehreen Ali, 30, a dentist, said she was sitting in a her car outside a shopping plaza when the vehicle started shaking.
“I thought the car was shaking as the driver was leaning against it,” Ms. Ali said. “Then, suddenly people started coming out of the building in front. People were staring at the building as if it was about to fall as it shook.”
In the northern valley of Swat, at least 35 people were killed, local officials said. At least a hundred houses have been damaged.
Shazia Bibi, 34, said a wall of her house collapsed, injuring her on the head and back. “I was rushing out of the house when the wall collapsed,” Ms. Bibi said from the hospital bed.
Zahir Shah, a resident of Mingora in Swat Valley, said he was sitting in a vehicle with a friend when buildings around them starting to shake. They quickly sped away from the market into an open area for safety. Mr. Shah said he could not reach his relatives in far-off areas of the valley as mobile and landline phones were not working.
Hospital officials in Swat said at least 250 people had been brought for treatment by Monday evening.
Landslides were reported in the mountainous Pakistani regions of Gilgit and Chitral, as boulders fell on to the roads, cutting off many areas with rest of the country. And damage was caused in more central parts of the country as well: In Punjab Province, at least 10 people were wounded when a school wall collapsed in the city of Sargodha.
In Afghanistan, the country’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, called an emergency meeting of senior officials to respond to the disaster. “This is the strongest earthquake that has happened in our country in recent years,” Mr. Abdullah said, warning of the possibility of aftershocks.
Telephone services were disrupted across a wide swath of northern Afghanistan. And the roll call of affected provinces closely mirrored those hardest hit by surging Taliban attacks in recent months.
In Takhar Province, the collapse of a school building left 12 students dead and 40 others injured, according to Sunatullah Taimoor, a spokesman for the Takhar provincial governor. Some of the victims, all girls aged 6 to 16, were killed in a stampede, he said.In Takhar Province, the collapse of a school building left 12 students dead and 40 others injured, according to Sunatullah Taimoor, a spokesman for the Takhar provincial governor. Some of the victims, all girls aged 6 to 16, were killed in a stampede, he said.
In Baghlan Province, 12 students were injured after a high school collapsed in the city of Pul-i-Kumri, according to Mohammad Nasir Kohzad, the provincial head of national disaster management. Extensive damage was also reported in the areas of Borka and Aq Kotal.In Baghlan Province, 12 students were injured after a high school collapsed in the city of Pul-i-Kumri, according to Mohammad Nasir Kohzad, the provincial head of national disaster management. Extensive damage was also reported in the areas of Borka and Aq Kotal.
In Nangarhar Province, health officials said seven people were killed and 77 others injured.In Nangarhar Province, health officials said seven people were killed and 77 others injured.
In Parwan Province, three people were killed and 13 injured, and 50 houses collapsed, according to Bahauddin Jilani, leader of the provincial council.In Parwan Province, three people were killed and 13 injured, and 50 houses collapsed, according to Bahauddin Jilani, leader of the provincial council.
At least 52 people were also reported dead in Pakistan, according to official figures from the United Nations. The damage hit hardest in the tribal areas in the country’s far northwest. South Asia, where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate, has a history of devastating earthquakes. In April, more than 8,700 people were killed in Nepal’s worst earthquake in 80 years. And in 2005, tens of thousands were killed in a 7.6 magnitude earthquake centered in the Kashmir region.
In northern Pakistan, dozens of people were reported injured by falling roofs and walls. At least 10 people were hurt when a school wall collapsed in Sargodha, a city in Punjab Province. Telephone and mobile phone services were disrupted in several cities.
Pakistani Army troops were ordered to provide relief to any people affected by the quake, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked rescue workers to be on alert.
South Asia, where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate, has a history of devastating earthquakes. In April, more than 8,700 people were killed in Nepal’s worst earthquake in 80 years. In 2005, tens of thousands were killed in an earthquake centered in the Kashmir region.