A 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Afghanistan and Pakistan

A Pakistani official stated that a strong earthquake shook the region late Friday, causing buildings to sway and residents in Islamabad, the capital, to flee their homes while they were asleep. Ghulam Rasool told the Associated Press that the earthquake's magnitude was 6.9 on the Richter scale and that its epicenter was in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan. The earthquake lasted for 59 seconds. It was also felt in Peshawar and the Kashmir region of Pakistan. In Islamabad, despite the cold weather, some residents are staying outside their homes due to fears of aftershocks. Sahib Khan, an 18-year-old student, said: "When the earthquake struck, I was studying. All my family members got up and began reciting verses from the Quran." Twitter users in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, also reported feeling the earthquake. However, the U.S. Geological Survey stated that the earthquake's magnitude was 6.2, with its epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, occurring at a depth of 203 kilometers. Earlier this October, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake shook both countries, resulting in 400 deaths. According to AFP, for many Pakistanis, the October earthquake is reminiscent of a similar earthquake in October 2005, which killed 75,000 people and left 3.5 million homeless. Afghanistan regularly experiences earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which is near the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. An earthquake in Nepal in April and May of this year resulted in 8,900 casualties. No reports have yet emerged regarding the damage and casualties resulting from the earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan.