6.2-magnitude quake shakes Pakistan

A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake today shook the Pakistani capital and many northern parts of the country though there were no immediate reports of casualties, officials said.

The temblor, which had its epicentre in southwestern Afghanistan, was felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore and the tribal areas. In the federal capital, people rushed out of their homes in panic.

At several places, the tremors last over 10 seconds. The Pakistan Meteorological Office said the quake measured 6.2 on the Richter Scale.

On April 16, an earthquake killed dozens and flattened hundreds of houses in the remote Mashkel area of Balochistan province.

The epicentre of that 7.8-magnitude quake was in southeast Iran but most of the deaths were reported across the border in Balochistan.

There were conflicting reports about the total number of deaths, with civilian and security officials saying between 31 and 40 people had died.

Tremors felt in North India

A moderate intensity earthquake shook Srinagar and adjoining areas today but there was no report of any casualty, officials said.

"A moderate earthquake of 5.    7 magnitude on Richter scale was felt in Srinagar and adjoining areas at 2.57 pm," a spokesman of the MET office said.

He said the epicentre of the earthquake was in Hindukush mountain region in Afghanistan at a latitude of 34.57 degrees North and longitude of 70.22 degrees East.

A police spokesman said there was no report of any casualty or damage to property.
The tremor, which lasted for a few seconds, caused panic among the people, many of whom were seen rushing out of buildings for safety.