Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Afghanistan

The epicenter of the quake was located in northeastern Afghanistan in the Hindukush, a sparsely populated mountain region, part of the Himalayas and shared by Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Several areas in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces were badly affected, with at least 88 casualties and hundreds of people reported injured in different parts of Pakistan.

Power was cut across much of the Afghan capital, where tremors were felt for around 45 seconds.

Please stay calm & do not panic.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.5.

Tremors were also felt in Pakistan and India’s north. According to preliminary estimates, 13 people have been killed in Pakistan.

Footage shows a catastrophic landslide sparked by the deadly quake that killed at least 180 people in South Asia this morning.

Pakistan state TV reported the same magnitude.

Afghan officials said entire villages were destroyed and warned the death toll could rise significantly, as information on the extent of the loss of lives and damage was trickling in.

“We are safe but I saw a lot of buildings collapse”, Hikmat Fasi said.

Pakistan was severely affected by today’s 7.5 magnitude natural disaster, whose epicentre was in Jarm area in north Afghanistan.

In 2005, a 7.6 magnitude quake hit Pakistani Kashmir killing more than 73,000 people, wounding 128,000 and leaving 3.5 million homeless.

Strong tremors were felt in India and Pakistan, with the quake reaching as far as New Delhi, Islamabad and the Afghan capital Kabul.

Update 10:03 PM AEDT: Reports of injuries and deaths are starting to appear online.

It says the roof collapsed Monday in the eastern city of Kasur.

Aftershocks are still being felt and people have been advised to vacate buildings, Express News reported.