Afghanistan earthquake: 250 dead after 6.1 magnitude quake
The European seismological agency, EMSC, said the earthquake’s tremors were felt over 500 kilometers across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
AFGHANISTAN EARTHQUAKE: At least 255 people were killed, while dozens of houses were damaged after a powerful earthquake struck Afghanistan on Wednesday.
“A severe earthquake shook four districts of Paktika province, killing and injuring hundreds of our countrymen and destroying dozens of houses,” Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, wrote on Twitter.
“We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe.”
Footage from Paktika province near the Pakistan border showed victims being carried into helicopters to be airlifted from the area. Images widely circulating online from the province showed destroyed stone houses, with residents picking through clay bricks and other rubble.
The European seismological agency, EMSC, said the earthquake’s tremors were felt over 500 kilometers across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The Pakistani media early Wednesday put the earthquake’s intensity at 6.1 and said tremors shook parts of the country.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the epicentre of the quake was 44km southwest of Khost in Afghanistan at a depth of 50.8 km and its exact time was 1:54 am (local time).
The tremors were felt in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and other parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
