Strong earthquake of magnitude 7.7 in Pakistan, India and Central Asia

Rawalpindi, The Gulf Observer: Strong earthquake of magnitude 7.7 reported in Pakistan, India and Central Asia.

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department said the earthquake measured at magnitude 6.8, with the epicentre being in the Hindu Kush mountain range near the remote northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.

Separately, the US Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude slightly lower, at 6.5, according to preliminary information.The USGS said the epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 miles) south-southeast of the Afghan town of Jurm, near the borders with Pakistan and Tajikistan.

Initial reports said the tremor was felt in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as a number of Pakistani cities, including Islamabad and Lahore.Witnesses also reported feeling the shaking in Indian-administered Kashmir, as well as in India’s capital, New Delhi.

Large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.