This Article is From Jan 19, 2011

Strong earthquake hits Pakistan, tremors felt in North India too

Strong earthquake hits Pakistan, tremors felt in North India too
New Delhi: A powerful earthquake of 7.4 magnitude struck southwestern Pakistan at about 2 am IST on Wednesday, tremors of which were felt in some states of North India like Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana.

While one person is reported to have died in a wall collapse in Pakistan, there were no reports of any loss of life or property from India.

Residents in several areas of the national capital region rushed outside their homes as soon as the tremors were felt.

"Suddenly there was a vibration and everything in the room was moving. We got scared and rushed outside our home," said a resident of Delhi's Laxmi Nagar area.

Tremors were felt in Jaipur, Barmer, Ganganagar and Jaiselmer in Rajasthan, and in Dubai as well.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the epicentre of the earthquake was located in southwestern Pakistan in the desert area bordering Iran and Afghanistan. But not much is being reported from there as it is a remote area. Reports from local news agencies say there has been no extensive damage in nearby towns.

"The earthquake struck at a depth of 7.4 km," an IMD official said. The epicentre was located at 28.9 degrees north on the latitude and 64 degrees east on the longitude.

A US Geological Service report said the epicentre of the earthquake was located 45 km from Dalbandin in southwest Pakistan. It said the focal depth of the earthquake was 84 km.

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake had devastated northern Pakistan and parts of Kashmir in October 2008, killing thousands of people. (With PTI Inputs)



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