KABUL (Reuters), Jan 5, 2008 – A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush on Thursday. It caused strong shaking throughout the country including Kabul. Officials and witnesses confirmed the report.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences, the quake occurred at a depth 189km (117 miles). Witnesses at each spot said that strong shaking could be felt in Islamabad and other parts of northern Pakistan as well as New Delhi.
According to Mahzudden Ahmadi, a provincial official in Badakhshan said that the tremors occurred close to the epicenter and that authorities were confirming whether any injuries or deaths were caused.
It was just too strong. We didn’t leave the room at first, but when it became more strong we decided to go. “It lasted approximately 30-40 seconds,” Ashraf Nael, 28 years old from Faizabad in Badakhshan stated.
However, there were no reports immediately of any casualties.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last year and killed more than 1000 people.
Reporting by Jubybabu in Bengaluru; Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Kabul; Saud Mehsud, Dera Ismail Khan. Writing by Gibran Penshimam. Editing by Hugh Lawson.
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