New Delhi, Thursday, July 19 A moderate intensity earthquake rocked Afghanistan at around 1:06 local time today afternoon. The earthquake reported to be 5.8 on the Richter scale initially has been scaled down to 5.5 by the USGS in its latest reports.
The earthquake occurred in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border while the epicenter was 29 km and 65 km from Khorugh (southwest) and Ishkashim (north-northwest) in Tajikistan and 65 km and 68 km from Jarm (northeast) and Ashkasham (north-northwest) in Afghanistan.
Notably, the region is highly hazard prone for earthquakes and witnesses 2-3 earthquakes each year surpassing the magnitude of 5.
There are reports of the jolts of the earthquake being felt in northwest Pakistan that is very close to the region. The tremors were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, FATA, Sawat, Abbottabad and surrounding areas in Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan.
There are however no reports of loss of life or property yet though the affected region is a little isolated and news might take time to reach out.