Strong Earthquake measuring 7.5 Richter scale north India, epicentre in #Hindukush Afghanistan; 4 killed in Pakistan

#Hindukush : #Afghanistan : According to initial reports the epicentre of the earthquake is in north Afghanistan.

A massive earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale today jolted north India, with panic-stricken people rushing out of houses and buildings that shook during the temblor lasting almost a minute. According to reports, four people have been killed in northwestern Pakistan.
The earthquake epicentred in the Hindukush mountain range in Afghanistan struck at around 2.40 PM, sending ripples across several states like Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, the National Capital Region (NCR), Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

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Our bureaus in Chandigarh and Srinagar have reported massive tremors, though no reports of damage have come in.
The NDRF has been put on alert and 24 battalions are ready for deployment. Speaking to CNN-IBN, DG, NDRF OP Singh said: “So far we haven’t recieved news about any damage in the country. We are trying to contact officials in Jammu and Kashmir. We have alerted our battalions in Punjab and Ghaziabad for rescue operations in Jammu and Kashmir and NCR respectively. Twent four teams are on alert and if the crisis worsens we will be on the field. We cannot get in touch with officials in J&K as phone lines are down.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern and said India was ready to provide any assistance required.

People frantically rushed out of their houses and offices as the ground shook. In the national capital, metro services were briefly halted.
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In Srinagar, residents said they saw the buildings “swinging”, reminding them of the devastating quake in 2005.

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In the Pakistani capital, walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic, reciting verses from the Quran.

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Vineet Gahlot, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.5 and an epicenter deep in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. The location has a population 666,668. The density of the location is 19/Sq Km, with 330000 in a radius of 75 km.
The GDACS also states that the area has steep slopes (up to 90 per cent) and may be susceptible to landslides. Details of calamities, if any, are awaited.
The full extent of the damage and the number of possible casualties was not yet known.