"The earthquake was strong in terms of intensity"
Earthquake tremors have been felt in India and in Pakistan after one measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit Asia.
According to reports, the epicentre is believed to be 90 kilometres from Kalafgan in Afghanistan.
Countries that have felt the tremors include Turkmenistan, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said:
“So far, thank God, there has been no bad news of casualties. We hope that all citizens of the country are safe.”
In India, places such as Delhi, Punjab and other northern areas in the country felt tremors, which lasted several seconds.
Tremors were also felt in Rajasthan’s Jaipur and Uttar Pradesh.
JL Gautam, scientist at the National Centre for Seismology, said:
“As we know that the Indo-Australian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate and this release happened in that region.
“The HKH region is very active seismologically. The reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt is for relatively longer time is because of the depth.
“The depth of the fault is over 150 km so first primary waves were felt and then secondary waves. Aftershocks are likely now but they can’t be forecast.”
People rushed out of their homes as buildings started shaking.
One resident of Noida first noticed the dining table shaking.
“Soon after we saw that the fans were also shaking. The earthquake was strong in terms of intensity and stayed for a longer period.”
One cab driver said: “I was waiting for passengers and suddenly my car started shaking. I immediately shouted and told my friends about it.”
In Pakistan, tremors were felt in Islamabad and in Lahore.
One Rawalpindi-based reporter said:
“People ran out of their houses and were reciting the Quran.”
Sarah Hasan, a resident of Islamabad, said that the walls of her house vibrated.
She told Al Jazeera: “It started off slowly and then became strong.
“The house was vibrating, things were shaking.
“It started slowing down, and after a few minutes, it felt like everything is calm again.”
The International Human Rights Foundation provided safety information for those in the affected countries.
They said: “1. Remain calm. 2. Follow the instructions of the authorities. 3. Make sure that you and your family are well. 4. Try to help other people who may need help. 5. Stay away from buildings.”
The Pakistan Meteorological Department later reported aftershocks of 3.7 magnitude in the Hindukush region along the border with Afghanistan.
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