Kabul / Islamabad / Jakarta / Kuala Lumpur, 22 June: An earthquake with magnitude of 6.1 hit Afghanistan that killed 950 people on Wednesday.
India expressed its condolences to the victims in Afghanistan. Ministry of External Affairs tweeted: India and to the victims and their families and to all those impacted by the tragic earthquake in Afghanistan. We share the grief of the people of Afghanistan and remain committed to provide assistance and support in this hour of need.
Earthquake tremors were felt in Pakistan, Indonesia, India and Malaysia. The toll could rise as reports trickle in from remote areas.
Strong tremors were felt in Afghanistan’s Paktika province on Wednesday morning. The earthquake in Afghanistan measured 6.1 on the Richter scale.
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was 44 km from the city of Khost in southeastern Afghanistan and the earth shook at a depth of 51 km.
According to Afghan Interior Ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi, the most impact of this horrific earthquake has been seen in Paktika province. There have been 255 deaths and more than 200 people have been taken to the hospital. However, according to Dawn newspaper in Pakistan, the toll stands as 950.
Information about the death of 25 people has also come to the fore in Khost and more than 100 people have been hastened to the hospital in critical condition.
The earthquake in Afghanistan was so strong that the tremors of the earthquake were felt in the cities of Lahore, Multan and Quetta.
The tremors of a 5.9 magnitude earthquake were felt at 3:20 am on Wednesday, centered 30 km from Datta Khel town in Pakistan. In Pakistan too, 20 people have died and a large number of people have been injured due to earthquake tremors.
The tremors of an earthquake of 5.1 magnitude were also felt in Malaysia late in the night. No casualty has been reported from there so far, but there has been structural damage. There people are involved in relief work. An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude was felt in Indonesia around 10.30 am on Wednesday. The epicentre of the earthquake was 132 km east of Nusa Tenggara.
Earthquake tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Its magnitude has been measured at 5.9 on the Richter scale.
