Large portions of Pakistan and Afghanistan were hit by a strong earthquake that left at least 12 people dead and more than 40 injured. Buildings were damaged by the 6.5-magnitude earthquake, which also caused landslides and forced residents to flee into the streets.
Earthquake hits Pakistan and Afghanistan
It occurred on Tuesday evening local time and was centered in the earthquake-prone Jurm valley of Afghanistan. The area is lightly populated, so its isolation will probably hamper relief and rescue efforts. “The tremor was terrifying. I had never experienced a tremor like that in my life “Khatera, a native of Kabul, spoke to AFP news agency after hurriedly leaving her residence on the fifth floor.
In the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s valley, nine verified fatalities were reported. According to the spokesman for the Afghan health ministry, three more people died in Afghanistan. According to AFP, one of the killings occurred in the Laghman province close to the Pakistani border.
As the earthquake hit, several families were out of the house celebrating Norwuz, the Iranian New Year. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of the neighboring country of Pakistan has requested that emergency action be taken by disaster relief organizations.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, tremors were detected throughout a 1,000 km area that includes India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan.
Due to its location at the confluence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, this area is more susceptible to experience earthquakes. The deadliest earthquake to hit Afghanistan in nearly 25 years rocked the Paktika province in June of last year, killing more than 1,000 people.
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