Earthquake Epicentre
New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) A major earthquake measuring at least 7.5 on the Richter scale on Monday jolted large parts of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, causing widespread panic, officials here said.
The India Meteorological Department said the epicentre of the quake lay in the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre lay 45 km south-southwest of Jarm in Afghanistan, around 240 km from capital Kabul. It put the intensity at 7.7 on the Richter scale.
The Pakistani met department put the intensity even higher -- at 8.1.
The tremors jolted the whole of northern India including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Everywhere, tens of thousands of people fled out of their homes and high-rise buildings.
In the capital, Delhi Metro immediately suspended its services. The quake also affected telecom services in Delhi and neighbouring regions as hundreds of thousands of people began telephoning one another.
The Pakistani media said the quake was felt in all major cities including Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Do not panic, Kejriwal says
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asked people not to panic after a powerful earthquake jolted the capital.
"Please stay calm and do not panic. Disaster management teams have been activated," he tweeted soon after the quake shook northern India as well as large parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Quake kills 13 in Pakistan, army mobilised
At least 13 people were killed in Pakistan on Monday when a major earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan hit parts of the country, media reports said.
Authorities said the Pakistan Army had been put on alert.
The quake was felt in most of the northern parts of Pakistan including such major cities as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargoda and Kohat and as far south as Multan, officials said.
Four people were killed in the Bajaur tribal region near the Afghanistan border after buildings collapsed in the area, Dawn reported.
A child was killed in Kallar Kahar area of Chakwal district in Punjab, one woman was killed in Sargodha and 10 others injured in a wall collapse and one in Kasur district when a house roof collapsed, while six people were killed in Swat Valley, it added.
Nearly 200 injured were brought to Swat's Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, while over 100 injured admitted to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, said Dawn.
Dunya News TV reported that a part of Bala Hissar fort in Peshawar had been damaged.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khatak declared an emergency in all hospitals, an official statement said.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said troops had been directed "to carry out immediate rescue work in any affected areas without waiting for formal orders".
Army teams had been sent out for a quick assessment of earthquake damages across the country, he said in a series of tweets.
The official added that all command military hospitals had been put on high alert, and helicopters and earthquake rescue machinery were on standby.
Quake rocks Himachal
An earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan jolted Himachal Pradesh on Monday but there were no reports of damage to life or property, an official told IANS.
Tremors of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake were felt for several seconds in several parts of the state, the meteorological office told IANS.
The Met Office said the tremors were felt more in Kangra and Chamba districts.
The India Meteorological Department said the epicentre of the quake lay in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.
Delhi Metro halts, resumes services
Delhi Metro on Monday halted its services for some time after strong tremors shook the Indian capital, officials said.
"Metro trains were stopped as per standard procedure. The entire system was shut down," Delhi Metro executive director Anuj Dayal told IANS.
"We checked the structures and resumed the services. Services have started on some lines. We are in the process of resuming services on the others," Dayal said.
Panic gripped thousands of commuters travelling in metro trains as the trains were halted.
"I have been stranded in the train for the past 15 minutes," said Nitin Jain from the Akshardham Temple Metro Station in east Delhi.
Delhi and neighbouring areas were hit as a 7.5 Richter Scale quake with its epicentre in Afghanistan hit large parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India.
