December 2005 Afghan-Pakistan earthquake

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A massive earthquake of magnitude 6.7 in the Richter Scale hit South Asia on December 12, 2005 21:47 (UTC). According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the quake was the Hindu Kush region of northeastern Afghanistan. The exact point of the epicentre was noted to be at 36.8 degree North latitude and 70.7 degree East longitude, by the Met department in Delhi.

Estimates are that at least 73,000 people were killed by the quake. The city of Muzaffarabad was the worst hit as concrete residential buildings pancaked, killing all of their occupants. In the mountainous area around the epicenter, villages were buried in landslides.[1]

The quake was strong enough to trigger panic among survivors of October's devastating earthquake, who came out from their makeshift shelters in freezing temperatures.

In India, the quake was felt at 03:17 IST on the morning of December 13, 2005 in the regions of Uri, Srinagar and the national capital New Delhi.

[edit] References

  • USGS - Technical details of the Earthquake
  1. ^ Brumfiel, Geoff (Mar 2, 2006). "Seismology: Shaking the foundations". Nature 440 (7080): 16. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.