Strong earthquake shakes Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

A strong earthquake shook large parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as parts of India on Tuesday evening. The USGS said the quake lasted at least 30 seconds and had a magnitude of 6.5. Accordingly, the epicenter of the earthquake was near the Afghan city of Jurm on the border with Pakistan and Tajikistan at a depth of 187 kilometers.

According to a local civil protection agency, at least three people were killed and at least six others were injured in the northern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A journalist from the AFP news agency observed people running from their homes and praying in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. Similar scenes were also reported from other parts of the country and from Afghanistan.

Earthquakes are very common in Afghanistan, particularly in the Hindu Kush where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide. Since many houses in the poor country are badly built, the tremors often cause serious damage.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Afghanistan in June, killing more than 1,000 people. It was the deadliest earthquake in the country for almost a quarter of a century. Tens of thousands of people were also made homeless.