6.2 magnitude earthquake jolts Pakistan

LAHORE (92 News) – A 6.2-magnitude quake struck north-western areas of Pakistan on late Sunday, jolting different parts of the Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. The shocks were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Swat, Malakand, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Shangla, Kohat, Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan and other northern areas of the country, according to television reports. The tremors were also felt in Azad Jammu and Kashmir region. The epicenter of the earthquake was reported at a depth of 86 kilometers. The tremors were so powerful in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Shangla, Peshawar, Chitral, Muzaffarabad and Bagh that people came out of their houses reciting Kalma Tayyaba. The US Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has hit northeastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan and Tajikistan. There were no immediate reports of casualties. USGS said that the quake struck at 2:16am local time Monday with its epicenter located 14 miles (21 kilometers) south-southwest of the town of Ashkasham in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, 186 kilometers (300 kilometers) northeast of Kabul. Its depth was measured at 57.4 miles (92.4 kilometers).