Afghanistan: One dead, 22 injured after 6.1 magnitude earthquake jolts Jurm; tremors felt in Delhi-NCR

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale was reported in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) region on Wednesday at 12.40 pm, according to media reports. The quake, also felt in Pakistan and Afghanistan,  claimed one life, and injured 22.

#FLASH Earthquake tremors felt in Delhi-NCR pic.twitter.com/ZLXBg3AyTZ

— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2018

[caption id=“attachment_4328771” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Evacuation procedures are underway in office complexes in Delhi-NCR. Image courtesy: Firstpost/Nitish Rampal[/caption] Offices in the Delhi-NCR region are being evacuated as part of precautionary measures. First reports were received from Uttar Pradesh’s Noida city, The Financial Express reported. The tremors were felt over around one minute, the report said. PTI said that the tremors were also felt in the Jammu and Kashmir Valley, while  Al Jazeera reported about an earthquake in Pakistan’s Islamabad as well. The epicenter of the earthquake was traced to Jarm city in Afghanistan’s Hindukush region, Zee News reported. Jurm is the same area which was the centre a devastating 7.5 magnitude quake in October 2015 that triggered landslides and flattened buildings, killing more than 380 people across the region. Across the border in Pakistan, homes, offices and schools were quickly evacuated in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. At least ten people were injured in Khyber Pakhtuhwa in earthquake-related incidents, Geo news reported. Rescue teams were also dispatched to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to assess reports of damage. Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Pakistan is also among the most earthquake-prone regions of the world with high vulnerability to earthquakes as the country lies in the same junction. In October 2005, a high intensity earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude hit parts of Pakistan, killing over 80,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands others homeless. With inputs from AFP