Earthquakes shake northern Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (Roundup)

Apr 3, 2007, 8:07 GMT

Kabul/New Delhi/Islamabad - An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale shook the Hindukush area of northern Afghanistan Tuesday and tremors were felt in India and Pakistan.

   There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.       The United States Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake in Afghanistan is 260 kilometres north-east of Kabul.

    Said Ahmad, a resident of northern Badakhshan, near the epicentre, said that he felt strong tremors, which continued for more than a minute.

'A lot of panicky people rushed out of their houses but so far we don't see any damage,' he said.

   The Indian Meterological Department reported a moderate earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook parts of northern Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh states Tuesday morning.

   People fled out of their homes but their were no reports of any damage or casualties, PTI news agency reported.

Pakistan's Meterological Department said a magnitude 6 earthquake jolted northern and central regions of the country, with the epicentre some 360 kilometres north-west of the capital Islamabad.

Though the tremors were classified as 'severe,' there were no reports of structural damage or casualties though people in the capital fled their houses in panic, witnesses said.

   In October 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in northern Pakistan and in Indian-admistered Kashmir killed more than 74,000 people and left 3 million homeless.