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1st LD Writethru:6.9 magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan

Xinhua, December 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

An earthquake measuring 6.9 at the Richter Scale hit Pakistani capital Islamabad and parts of eastern Punjab and northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in the wee hours of Saturday morning, officials said.

Ghulam Rasool, the Director General of Pakistan met office said that the quake's focal depth was determined at a focal depth of 197 km in the Hindukush mountain ranges along Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.

He said that the earthquake's duration was 59 seconds in parts of the country including northeast Kashmir area.

He said that several mild to moderate aftershocks are expected to hit the country in the next few hours.

Meanwhile the USGS said that the earthquake's magnitude was 6.2 and its focal depth was 203 km in Ashkasham area of Afghanistan.

Commenting on the difference of the magnitudes, the DG claimed that the Pakistani met office's reports are more accurate than the USGS as they monitor the whole situation closely and their technology in the region is more developed than the U.S.

No loss of life has been reported yet, but local media reported that cracks appeared in some houses in Kashmir area.

The disaster management authority of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said that they are contacting their sub-offices in various districts to check possible damages caused by the quake. Enditem