Strong Earthquake Rocks Afghanistan, Pakistan, India
Indian officials say magnitude-7.7 temblor was centered deep in Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, and was felt across South Asia
ISLAMABAD/KABUL — A major earthquake struck northern Afghanistan Monday, shaking the capital Kabul and sending tremors that were felt in Pakistan and India. In Afghanistan, provincial health authorities confirmed six dead and almost 70 wounded in Nangarhar province. In Kunduz province, 11 schoolchildren died in Takhar while 35 others were wounded. In Pakistan, at least 40 people were killed and more than 300 others were wounded, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw province which borders Afghanistan, say provincial and federal officials. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 7.5-magnitude earthquake was 196 kilometers deep and centered 82 kilometers southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Pakistan's military chief, General Raheel Sharif, has instructed commanders to mobilize troops and helicopters to immediately distribute rescue equipment to the region. Reports say buildings swayed in New Delhi, India's capital, forcing office workers out into the streets. The mountainous region is seismically active, with earthquakes the result of the Indian subcontinent driving into and under the Eurasian landmass. Monday's earthquake struck almost exactly six months after Nepal suffered its worst quake on record, when a 7.8-magnitude temblor struck on April 25. Including deaths caused by a 7.3-magnitude aftershock in May, 9,000 people were killed and 900,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. On Oct. 8, 2005, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan, killing about 75,000 people.