PM Modi Offers Help To Afghanistan, Pakistan

A powerful 7.7-magnitude natural disaster in northern Afghanistan rocked cities across South Asia.

Early reports say the quake killed more than 150 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Zoona Begum died after suffering a massive heart attack following the tremors while two RR personnel were injured when their bunker in apple township of Sopore collapsed, the Srinagar report said. The agency later revised its magnitude from a preliminary 7.7 to 7.5. At least 100 houses in the tribal region of Kurram and 200 buildings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reportedly caved in.

Waqas Habibi Rana, a resident from Lahore, said many people fled their homes and office buildings as the city was hit by the tremors. In the capital, Islamabad, buildings shook and panicked people poured into the streets, many reciting verses from the Quran.

An eyewitness in Jalalabad told VOA the quake sent people running.

The Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Takhar were hit hard. Another 30 injured students were taken to a hospital. Nevertheless, the destruction is expected to be less severe than in the Kashmir natural disaster of 2005, which killed tens of thousands of people. Office buildings swayed and workers who had just returned from lunch ran out of buildings and gathered in the street or in parking lots.

Northern Pakistan has seen recent heavy rains, and there are fears the quake may have triggered landslides.

Pakistan’s military has been activated without waiting for formal orders, a military spokesman said in a tweet.

The US said it has emergency shelters and relief supply kits stored in warehouses throughout Afghanistan that could be used.

The quakes epicentre was located near Jurm in northeast Afghanistan, 250 kilometres from Kabul and at a depth of 213.5 kms, according to the US Geological Survey.

In Tehran, Iranian state media reported that Iran is ready to dispatch humanitarian aid as well as rescue teams to the quake-stricken areas.

At least five districts in the province reported casualties, Timori said, adding that information about additional victims was still pouring in from different places. George Grow was the editor.

This is developing story.