New Delhi: A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake with the epicentre in Afghanistan shook Pakistan, killing at least ten people in the country and injuring over 160 others and causing many buildings to collapse, according to media reports on Wednesday.
Two persons were also killed in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported.
The earthquake’s epicentre was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. Tremors were also felt in many parts of north India, including the Delhi-National Capital Region.
In Pakistan, earthquake tremors were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kot Momin, Madh Ranjha, Chakwal, Kohat and Gilgit-Baltistan areas.
Television footage showed panic-stricken citizens out on the streets.
The earthquake killed nine people, including two women, and injured over 160 others in Pakistan as well as causing many buildings to collapse, Geo News quoted officials as saying.
At the time of the earthquake, a stampede was reported in the markets of Rawalpindi, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has asked disaster management officials to remain vigilant to handle any situation.
An emergency was declared in the hospitals of the federal capital on the instructions of Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
Sharafat Zaman Amerkhail, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, said that the heads of all medical centres have been instructed to prepare staff for possible casualties from the earthquake.
Strong earthquake tremors were felt in Delhi-NCR and other parts of north India, including Delhi-NCR, on Tuesday night as an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.
Panic-stricken people rushed out of buildings as the earthquake struck around 10.20 pm and was also felt in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
People across Delhi and Noida rushed out of their homes at around 10 pm onto the street, with some carrying their children wrapped in blankets. Ghaziabad residents were also seen on the streets.
There were disruptions in mobile services in some parts of the Jammu region immediately after the earthquake, an official said.
Eyewitnesses have also claimed to have felt the earthquake in states such as Kashmir and Jaipur.
According to the international seismological centre, apart from Pakistan and India, tremors were also felt in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China and Kyrgyzstan.
Earthquakes are common in Pakistan. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad in January this year.
The deadliest quake to hit Pakistan in 2005 killed more than 74,000 people.