Moderate 5.6 earthquake strikes region of Afghanistan

April 24, 2013 – AFGHANISTAN – A moderate earthquake hit Afghanistan Wednesday and its tremors were felt in Kabul, Islamabad and as far away as New Delhi. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 5.6-magnitude earthquake was 65 kilometers deep and struck 25 kilometers northwest of Jalalabad, the main town in eastern Afghanistan which is close to the Pakistani border. Pakistan’s meteorological office put the magnitude at 6.2. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a provincial government spokesman, tells VOA that six people have died and 64 others were injured in the quake and that a large number of structures in Nangahar province have been damaged. Some buildings reportedly swayed in New Delhi, causing a mild panic. Last week a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed 41 people in the Baluchistan region of Pakistan, and just a few days later a 6.6-magnitude earthquake killed about 600 people in southeastern China. –VOA NEWS