Massive earthquake kills 12 in Pak; tremors in Srinagar, New Delhi

A massive earthquake hit North India today, which was measured at 7.5 magnitude on Richter scale today that shook the entire region from Kashmir to Delhi. In Pakistan, as many as 12 people have been reportedly killed while in Afghanistan at least, 12 schoolgirls have died – details are awaited. Two Army personnel were injured when their bunker collapsed under the impact of the tremor at Sopore, 55 kms from Srinagar, in north Kashmir Baramulla district, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5.

The earthquake sent people running out of their houses and other establishments in panic – the earthquake struck at around 2.40 PM. The earthquake occurred at the depth of 190 kms.

In fact according to Global Incident Map, there were 3 earthquakes that followed each other in close succession , one as near as 21 minutes (3:20 pm IST). Whether these were aftershocks is not clear yet. There were no immediate reports of loss of life or property.

I pray for everyone’s safety: PM Narendra Modi tweeted after strong quake in Af-Pak region whose tremors felt in parts of India. PM Modi has asked for urgent assessment of the quake, ready for assistance where required, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

So far, reports have not indicated the quake prevented the financial establishments and other businesses from working normally. The Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange plus all the other markets, including commodities markets are working normally.

In the national capital, Delhi Metro Services were briefly halted.

In Srinagar, residents said they saw the buildings “swinging”, reminding them of the devastating quake in 2005.

The quake was felt right across South Asia, rocking cities, towns and villages everywhere, sending ripples across several states like Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, the National Capital Region (NCR), Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

Strong tremors were felt in Kabul, New Delhi and Islamabad on Monday. In the Pakistani capital, walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic, reciting verses from the Quran.

The epicentere of the earthquake was in the Hindukush region in northeastern Afghanistan on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, sending earthquake that was felt as far away as in India and in neighbouring Pakistan. This region is known to be a high sesimic zone.

In northwestern Pakistan, at least 12 people were killed, including one in the city of Peshawar, according to government officials.

Injured people were pouring into Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, an official said. “We received 50 injured and more are being shifted. The injured suffered multiple injuries due to building collapse,” said hospital spokesman Syed Jamil Shah.

In the Afghan capital, Kabul, buildings shook violently but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake was 196 km (120 miles) deep and centred 82 km (51 miles) southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Vineet Gahlot, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and an epicenter deep in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Pakistan state TV reported the same magnitude.

The earthquake struck almost exactly six months after Nepal suffered its worst quake on record, on April 25. Including the toll from a major aftershock in May, 9,000 people lost their lives and 900,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.