Earthquake of magnitude 6.2 shakes upper Pakistan, Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: A strong earthquake hit Afghanistan and upper parts of Pakistan on Thursday night, which felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Islamabad and upper Punjab.

Initial estimates suggest that the epicenter of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake was in northeastern Afghanistan 32 kilometres northeast of Jalalabad at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Later, the German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ confirmed that the earthquake was of 6.2 magnitude on Richter scale.

However, the Pakistan Meteorological Department says the magnitude was 5.9.

Afghanistan is still reeling from a devastating earthquake that hit the country Sunday, with the latest figures on Thursday showing that the death toll had reached 2,205.

The number of injured stands at 3,640.

The first earthquake of magnitude 6, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in recent years, unleashed widespread damage and destruction in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar on Sunday, when it struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles).

Magnitude 5.0 earthquake hits Peshawar and other areas

A second quake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday caused panic and interrupted rescue efforts as it sent rocks sliding down mountains and cut off roads to villages in remote areas.

More than 6,700 homes have been destroyed, authorities have said. The United Nations has warned the toll could rise with people still trapped under rubble as time runs out for survivors.

Humanitarian needs are “vast and growing rapidly”, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

“Up to 84,000 people are directly and indirectly affected, with thousands displaced,” it added, citing initial figures.