6.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Afghanistan, Casualties Reported in Pakistan

6.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Afghanistan, Casualties Reported in Pakistan
(USGS)
Jack Phillips
1/31/2018
Updated:
1/31/2018

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan on Wednesday, Jan. 31, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more in nearby Pakistan.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor hit Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
According to Voice of America, a Pakistani girl was killed by the earthquake, which hit hundreds of miles away.
The lone death occurred in Pakistan’s Baluchistan’s province, and the girl was killed when the roof of her mud-walled house collapsed. About 10 other people were injured, according to Reuters.

The quake rattled buildings in the Afghan capital and was also felt in parts of India, Reuters also reported.

There were no immediate reports of any serious damage or casualties in Afghanistan.

A Pakistani official said that two quakes occurred in the country on Wednesday.

“The first earthquake of 4.9 magnitude struck Balochistan’s Bela town at 10 a.m.,” National Seismic Monitoring Centre Director Zahid Rafi said, Geo TV reported. He added that “the second earthquake’s tremors were felt in Pakistan at 12:07 p.m.”

In October 2005, about 75,000 people died when a 7.6-magnitude quake hit northern Pakistan.

Large parts of the region are seismically active because a tectonic plate, known as the Indian plate, is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.

Reuters contributed to this report.
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Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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