The quake was 132 miles deep and centred 158 miles northeast of Kabul in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
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The quake was felt in most of the northern parts of Pakistan including such major cities as Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargodha, Quetta and Multan, officials said.
But the effects were felt as far away as New Delhi, Islamabad and Kabul, say witnesses.
Media reports from Pakistan said casualties were reported from Swat, Bajaur Agency, Kallar Kahar, Sargodha and Kasur, where buildings and roofs of structures had collapsed in different areas. Rothery said despite this factor, the death toll could be quite high as numerous homes in the region are poorly constructed and liable to kill or injure people.
“Reports about damages to public and property are tentative, but given the magnitude of the quake, we are keeping fingers crossed”, said a senior officer of the provincial administration here. “I have asked for an urgent assessment and we stand ready for assistance where required, including Afghanistan & Pakistan”, the Prime Minister added. “Many are still under rubble”, Sadiq said.
Buildings swayed as the quake that lasted for around 40 seconds sent people scurrying for cover.
The girls were killed when a stampede broke out in their school in Taluqan city, the capital of the remote province of Takhar. Houses shook, walls cracked and cars rolled in the streets.
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Afghanistan’s chief executive Abdullah Abdullah called an emergency meeting of the disaster management authority to assess the damage, his senior adviser Omar Samad tweeted. He said more than 100 people were wounded in the area.
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May 5, 2014: An natural disaster of 6.0 magnitude occurred in the Bay of Bengal and tremors were felt across India.
