Eight people were killed and a child injured on Friday when a house in Kabul collapsed following an earthquake in Afghanistan, the National Disaster Management Authority said.
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on Friday, the German Geosciences Research Center (GFZ) announced.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 177 km (110 miles), GFZ said.
Strong tremors were felt in Islamabad, Kabul in Afghanistan and the Indian capital New Delhi, according to Reuters witnesses.
The National Seismic Monitoring Center (NSMC) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the earthquake was recorded at 9:13 p.m. PST, with a depth of 190 kilometers. The epicenter was located in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, at 36.48° north latitude and 70.84° east longitude.
Residents of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Taxila, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Multan felt strong shaking, although no significant damage or casualties were reported.
In Punjab, the earthquake was felt in Sargodha, Chakwal, Chiniot, Jhelum, Mianwali, Narowal, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Mandi Bahauddin and Kamalia.
Residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Peshawar, Nowshera, Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Kohat, Malakand, Mardan, Hangu, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Upper Hazara, Buner, Banno, Bajaur, Tank and Charsadda reported shaking.
Gilgit Baltistan also felt the earthquake in Gilgit, Skardu and Diamer, while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the tremors were reported from Muzaffarabad, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Samahni and Hattian Bala, including Channari, Chikothi, Gujjar Bandi and Lipa.
Afghanistan, surrounded by rugged mountains, is prone to many natural disasters. Its earthquakes are the deadliest, killing around 560 people on average each year.
Last month, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, causing only minor damage and one injury.
The earthquake struck on Friday as people in the predominantly Muslim country sat down to break their Ramadan fast.
The epicenter was near several isolated villages, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Kabul, the United States Geological Survey said.
A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the country in November, killing at least 27 people and destroying hundreds of homes.
— With additional contribution from AFP
