At least 12 people were killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by a strong earthquake felt across thousands of kilometers, but the region appeared Wednesday to have dodged the mass casualties usually associated with a tremor of such scale. There are chances that casualties may rise as the earthquake reported was powerful and felt in most parts of the country.
According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the epicentre of the earthquake was 133 km south-southeast of Fayzabad in Afghanistan with a focal depth of 156 km.
People in northwest India and Delhi also felt the tremors for a relatively long time. Seismologists said the reason why most people in northwest India and Delhi felt tremors for a long time is that the depth of the fault was more than 150 km.
Delhiites rushed out of their homes and came out on the streets as the powerful temblor shook the mountainous region at 10.17 pm. However, there was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property here.
Apart from Delhi, the earthquake was felt across the northern region, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan.
(With inputs from agencies)
