6.2 earthquake hits N/E Afghanistan

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit a remote and mountainous area of north-east Afghanistan today, shaking buildings in the capital and as far away as Pakistan, Tajikistan and India.

The earthquake in Badakhshan province was about 200 miles north-east of the capital, Kabul, where residents felt shaking buildings and ran outside their homes. There were no immediate casualty reports.

“It was a very strong earthquake,” said Agha Noor Kemtoz, the provincial police chief of Badakhshan, which shares a border with Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. “My room was shaking and the light was swinging back and forth.”

The US Geological Survey said the 6.2-quake was centred 40 miles south of the provincial capital Faizabad and hit at 8.05am (4.35am Irish time).

Damage reports from north-eastern Afghanistan are often slow to trickle in because of the region’s remoteness and a lack of communication facilities.

The quake was felt across northern Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad, 280 miles away. It was also felt in Tajikistan and in the Indian and Pakistan-administered portions of Kashmir, where a severe earthquake in October 2005 left tens of thousands dead and caused widespread destruction.

Badakhshan – the most remote area in Afghanistan – is home to the towering mountains of the Hindu Kush, and is a region prone to earthquakes.