6.2-Magnitude Quake Hits Afghanistan
Pastor Dale Morgan
6.2-Magnitude Quake Hits Afghanistan*
By AMIR SHAH
The Associated Press
Tuesday, April 3, 2007; 1:57 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit a remote and
mountainous area of northeastern Afghanistan Tuesday morning, shaking
buildings in the capital, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India.
The earthquake in Badakhshan province was about 200 miles northeast of
the capital, Kabul, where residents felt shaking buildings and some
windows were shattered. There were no immediate casualty reports.
"It was a very strong earthquake," said Agha Noor Kemtoz, the provincial
police chief of Badakhshan, which shares a border with Pakistan,
Tajikistan and China. "My room was shaking and the light was swinging
back and forth."
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.2-quake was centered 40 miles
south of Faizabad and hit at 8:05 a.m.
Damage reports from northeastern Afghanistan are often slow to trickle
in, because of the region's remoteness and a lack of communication
facilities.
The quake was felt across northern Pakistan, including in the capital,
Islamabad, 280 miles away. It also was felt in Tajikistan and in the
Indian and Pakistan-administered portions of Kashmir, where a severe
earthquake in October 2005 left thousands dead and caused widespread
destruction.
Badakhshan _ the most remote area in Afghanistan _ is home to the
towering mountains of the Hindu Kush and is a region prone to earthquakes.
A 6.7-magnitude quake struck Badakhshan in December 2005, killing at
least five children. That quake was centered about 60 miles southeast of
Faizabad.
In May 1998, a 6.9-magnitude quake hit near Faizabad, triggering massive
mud slides and flooding that left more than 5,000 people dead.