Earthquake Shakes Afghanistan

Powerful Earthquake Hit Northeastern Afghanistan
An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale has hit a remote and mountainous area of northeastern Afghanistan Tuesday morning, shaking buildings in the capital, Kabul, parts of Pakistan, Tajikistan and India. The temblor was centered in Badakhshan province, about 200 miles northeast of the capital, Kabul. Residents reported shaking buildings and shattered glass but no immediate casualty figure was available, AP reported. "It was a very strong earthquake," said Agha Noor Kemtoz, the provincial police chief of Badakhshan. "My room was shaking and the light was swinging back and forth." The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 40 miles south of Faizabad and hit at 8:05 a.m. Damage reports from northeastern Afghanistan are often slow to trickle in, because of the region's remoteness and a lack of communication facilities. Badakhshan-- the most remote area in Afghanistan-- is located in the towering mountains of the Hindukush and is a region prone to earthquakes. The province shares a border with Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. A 6.7 magnitude quake struck Badakhshan in December 2005, killing five children. That quake was centered about 60 miles southeast of Faizabad.