7.5 magnitude earthquake felt in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India
A powerful earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan, with tremors rippling through Pakistan and northern India.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake was centred in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, according to reports by the US Geological Survey.
Local news channels in Pakistan showed people evacuating office buildings.
No official word has been released on casualties however one report has said that four individuals have been killed in the northwest region of Pakistan.
Phone lines in Pakistan were down after the tremor struck, whilst in the Indian capital city of Delhi, schools and offices were evacuated.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted that he had ordered an urgent assessment of any damage.
He said, “We stand ready for assistance where required, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Professor of planetary geosciences at the UK’s Open University, David Rothery said the quake could potentially cause a lot of damage.
“Fortunately it occurred at a depth of more than 200km and so the shaking of the ground surface was less than it would have been for a shallower earthquake of the same magnitude,” he said.
