A magnitude-6.3 earthquake rocked the Hindukush region of Afghanistan late Friday night. Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Pakistan and India. This was followed close on its heels with another 5.2 quake in Indonesia.
The moderate-intensity quake hit the Hindukush region at around 19:21:13 UTC Friday (00:51 hrs Indian Standard Time (IST) on Saturday), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The IMD said the tremors were felt in several parts of north India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and even in the capital, New Delhi.
The department also said mild tremors were also felt in some parts of the national capital.However, there were no reports of any damage. In Afghanistan there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but the temblor was felt in Kabul, the capital, where beds shook and chandeliers swung for about 15 seconds, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
In Pakistan, tremors were felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, according to the Dawn newspaper. Among the areas that were hit included Islamabad, Kurram Agency, Sialkot and Mianwala. Panic-stricken people ran out of their houses after the initial tremors.
The quake was 199.70 km below the surface, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) website. The epicentre of the quake was 75 km (45 miles) southeast of Faizabad, Afghanistan, and 265 km (165 miles) northeast of Kabul.
This was followed 13 minutes later by a quake of 5.2 magnitude in Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia. The place is about 310 km (195 miles) from General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines and 2460 km (1530 miles) from Indonesian capital Jakarta. The depth was 66.3 km below the surface.
UPDATE: At 20:43:14 UTC, a mild quake of 3.7 magnitude was reported from Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, US. This place is about 230 km (143 miles) south of Anchorage.
For live quake feed: earthquake.usgs.gov
