<p>A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Tajikistan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.</p>.<p>The quake struck around 5:37 am local time (0037 GMT) at a depth of about 20.5 kilometres (12.7 miles).</p>.<p>The USGS estimated that "little or no population" would be exposed to landslides from the quake.</p>.<p>Its epicentre appeared to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous eastern region that borders Afghanistan and China, about 67 kilometres from the small mountain town of Murghob.</p>.<p>A 5.0-magnitude aftershock hit the area about 20 minutes after the initial quake, followed by a 4.6-magnitude quake.</p>.<p>The sparsely populated territory is surrounded by the towering Pamir Mountains and is home to Lake Sarez.</p>.<p>The aquamarine-coloured body of water -- formed as a result of an earthquake in 1911 -- is among Tajikistan's largest lakes.</p>.<p>Located behind Lake Sarez is a natural dam deep in the Pamir mountains, and experts have warned the consequences will be catastrophic if the dam is breached.</p>.<p>Tajikistan -- like much of the rest of Central Asia -- is highly prone to natural disasters and has a long history of floods, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and heavy snowfalls.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, nine people died in a February 15 avalanche in Gorno-Badakhshan, while another person was killed the same day in an avalanche on a highway near the capital Dushanbe.</p>
<p>A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Tajikistan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.</p>.<p>The quake struck around 5:37 am local time (0037 GMT) at a depth of about 20.5 kilometres (12.7 miles).</p>.<p>The USGS estimated that "little or no population" would be exposed to landslides from the quake.</p>.<p>Its epicentre appeared to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous eastern region that borders Afghanistan and China, about 67 kilometres from the small mountain town of Murghob.</p>.<p>A 5.0-magnitude aftershock hit the area about 20 minutes after the initial quake, followed by a 4.6-magnitude quake.</p>.<p>The sparsely populated territory is surrounded by the towering Pamir Mountains and is home to Lake Sarez.</p>.<p>The aquamarine-coloured body of water -- formed as a result of an earthquake in 1911 -- is among Tajikistan's largest lakes.</p>.<p>Located behind Lake Sarez is a natural dam deep in the Pamir mountains, and experts have warned the consequences will be catastrophic if the dam is breached.</p>.<p>Tajikistan -- like much of the rest of Central Asia -- is highly prone to natural disasters and has a long history of floods, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and heavy snowfalls.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, nine people died in a February 15 avalanche in Gorno-Badakhshan, while another person was killed the same day in an avalanche on a highway near the capital Dushanbe.</p>