No S. Korean victims reported in earthquake in Afghanistan

The U.S. Geological Survey said the natural disaster had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and occurred at a depth of 212 kilometers (130 miles).

A 7.6-magnitude quake killed around 75,000 people when it hit northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005.

“Here in Islamabad, we were forced to leave our building and the tremors were also felt in Peshawar and elsewhere, as far as India and Afghanistan”.

The victims also included around 12 girls who died while trying to flee their school in Afghanistan, an official told NBC News – with a few of them crushed in a stampede. Many residents in the city rushed into the streets. Another 25 students were injured. At least 29 people were killed, dozens more were injured.

Eight children were known to be among the dead in Pakistan.

A strong natural disaster shook the Afghan capital on Monday, with reports indicating severe tremors were felt in Pakistan, northern India and Nepal.

At least one aftershock hit shortly afterwards, with the USGS putting its magnitude at 4.8.

In Quetta, near the border with Afghanistan, there were no reports of casualties, Saifi said, but there were “structural damages”. Power supplies and most mobile networks were knocked out, and there was structural damage to roads and buildings.

The official added that all command military hospitals had been put on high alert, and helicopters and quake rescue machinery were on standby.

“I could see homes, buildings shaking”. At least 194 injured people were taken to a hospital in the Swat district and over 100 were taken to a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistani website Dawn reported.

“Many are still under rubble”, Sadiq told AFP.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said on Twitter the quake was “the strongest one felt in recent decades”.

Army teams had been sent out for a quick assessment of quake damages across the country, he said in a series of tweets.

As buildings shook throughout north India, hundreds poured onto the streets from office blocks, hospitals and and homes.

Trains across the Delhi Metro corridor came to a screeching halt as soon as tremors struck the national capital and services were resumed after 15 minutes, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

In Lahore, Pakistan, phone lines went down, while walls swayed back and forth in Islamabad.

Srinagar police Inspector General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gilani said that “some bridges and buildings have been damaged”, including a cracked highway overpass.