Scores injured as powerful quake jolts Pakistan, Afghanistan

Thirty people are reported to be injured according to Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson in Peshawar

PESHAWAR/ AFGHANISTAN: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck northeast Afghanistan around midnight near the country's borders with Pakistan and Tajikistan, causing buildings in Islamabad to sway and leaving 30 injured in Peshawar.

The earthquake measured a strong 6.2 magnitude on the richter scale according to US Geological Survey (USGS), however DG Meteorological Department confirmed while speaking to The Express Tribune that the earthquake measured a magnitude of 6.9; after which an alert was issued in the province.

PHOTO: AFP

According to a spokesperson at Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, "around 30 people have been injured so far." There are further reports of 18 injured in Swat.

The quake, which measured 203.5 kilometres (126 miles) deep, struck about 280 kilometres northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul at 11:44 pm (1914 GMT), the USGS said on its website.



It caused buildings to sway in Islamabad, an AFP journalist said, and Twitter users as far away as New Delhi said they felt the quake's impact.

PHOTO: AFP

Many took to Twitter after evacuating from their homes and buildings.

https://twitter.com/defencepk/status/680474253641297920

#Earthquake@PDMAKP Numbers
091-9213959
091-9223662
091-9213845

— KP Updates (@KPKUpdates) December 25, 2015

Earthquake hits several parts of Pakistan at 6.9 magnitude. May God have mercy on all of us. Stay safe and take precautions everyone.

— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) December 25, 2015

Stay safe everyone :-( #earthquake

— Sanam Balochians (@SanamBalochfans) December 25, 2015

Hope everyone is ok #earthquake

— Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) December 25, 2015

https://twitter.com/JavedMalik/status/680471167573094401

It was very strong earthquake jolts here , Ya Allah Khair! EMERGENCY IS ON RED ALERT AT MTI LRH PESHAWAR @kth_pesh @HmcPesh @ath_abbottabad

— Shahram Khan Tarakai (@ShahramKTarakai) December 25, 2015

The depth of epicenter was 191 km #earthquake

— Ali Moeen Nawazish (@am_nawazish) December 25, 2015

Terrible #earthquake praying for everyone's safety 6.4?my shocked self says it was stronger

— MaizaHameed (@MaizaHameedMNA) December 25, 2015

After Earthquake Emergency Declared in LRH,KTH and HMC Hospitals

— Muhammad Asim Khan (@asimkhan_says) December 25, 2015

In October, a 7.5-magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing almost 400 people and flattening buildings in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.

For many in Pakistan, October's quake brought back traumatic memories of a 7.6-magnitude quake that struck in October 2005, killing more than 75,000 people and displacing some 3.5 million.



Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In Nepal a quake in April and a strong aftershock in May killed more than 8,900 people.