International Desk: Several areas, including the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, shook due to a strong earthquake. The earthquake was felt around 9:47 p.m. local time on Tuesday, March 21. In all, 9 people in Pakistan and 2 in Afghanistan lost their lives; more than 300 were injured. News from CNN and The News
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.8 on the Richter scale. However, the US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 and was centered 40 kilometers northeast of Jurm, Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Office said that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7. It was felt in the country’s capital, Islamabad, and other parts.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said in a statement that he has asked disaster management officials to be vigilant in dealing with any situation.
Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, tweeted that the Ministry of Public Health had ordered all health centers to be ready.
Sarah Hasan from Islamabad told Al Jazeera that houses were shaking from the earthquake. At first, the vibration starts slowly, then it becomes stronger.
According to Al-Jazeera’s report, the earthquake lasted for at least 30 seconds. On the other hand, tremors were felt in various places, including the capital of India, NDTV said.
In the video spread on social media, it was seen that ordinary people came out of the house and gathered on the street after the earthquake, and various objects inside the house fell one after another.
An AFP reporter from Rawalpindi said people came out of their houses and started reciting the Koran.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency services, said more than 300 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. AP news
