Tajikistan earthquake: Magnitude 7.2 earthquake felt as far as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan

There were no immediate reports on casualties and destruction caused

Lizzie Dearden
Monday 07 December 2015 09:13 GMT
Comments

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake has hit Tajikistan, according to the US Geological Survey.

It struck at 7.50am today with an epicentre in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, around 70 miles west of the city of Murghob, seismologists said.

Tremors were felt in Delhi, as well as in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and across northern India. Hundreds of people ran out of shaking buildings and stayed out on the streets fearing aftershocks, NDTV reported.

A spokesman for Tajikistan's Emergencies Committee said it had no information so far on any casualties or damage from the quake, while Russia's defence ministry said its bases in the country were unaffected.

In Dushanbe, the Tajikistani capital around 400 miles from the earthquake's epicentre, the tremors felt "moderate" according to a resident speaking to Reuters by telephone.

The US Geological Survey describes the area as one of the “most seismically hazardous regions on Earth” because of tectonic activity along shifting fault lines.

The Main Pamir Thrust, beneath mountains in Tajikistan, produces numerous earthquakes as the Indian and Eurasian plates collide.

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake in the Central Pamir Mountains killed almost 100 people in 1911 and triggered a massive landslide that blocked the Murghab River.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in