KABUL: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 280 people in Afghanistan early on Wednesday, officials said, adding that hundreds of people were injured and the toll was likely to rise as information trickled in from remote mountain villages.
Tremors of the earthquake also hit Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at around 2.24 am on Wednesday. Tremors were felt in many places including Islamabad, Multan, Bhakar, Falia, Peshawar, Malakand, Swat, Mianwali, Pakpattan and Buner.
The shocks was also recorded in Lahore, Quetta, Faisalabad, Abbottabad, Kohat and Malakand, according to Geo News reported. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck about 44 km from the city of Khost in southeastern Afghanistan. It was at the depth of 51 km.
According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), shaking was felt over a range of some 500 km. Tremors were also felt in some parts of India.
The epicentre of the earthquake was south-west of Khost in Afghanistan. This was the third time during this week that tremors were felt in different areas of both the provinces. On Friday, there were two quakes in Rawalpindi and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa