A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake with the epicentre in Afghanistan shook Pakistan on Tuesday which killed at least nine people in the country and injuring over 160 others and causing many buildings to collapse, according to media reports on Wednesday.
Two persons were also killed in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported.
It has been reported that strong tremors were also felt in northern India.
All about the quake
The epicentre of the quake was in Afghanistan's Jurm, said the United States Geological Survey.
The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
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According to initial reports, tremors were felt in various cities, including Islamabad, Peshawar, Charsadda, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Strong tremors were also felt in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kot Momin, Madh Ranjha, Chakwal, Kohat and in Gilgit-Baltistan areas, local media reported.
Television footage showed panic-stricken citizens out on the streets.
Initially, an interim report from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that two people died and six people were injured from incidents of roof, wall and house collapses while eight homes were partially damaged in the province, as per media reports.
However, Swat District Police Officer Shafiullah Gandapur told Dawn.com that two people died in the district while 150 were injured, adding that they were moved to Saidu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
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Stampede in Rawalpindi; Disaster management teams on alert
At the time of the earthquake, a stampede was reported in the markets of Rawalpindi, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has asked disaster management officials to remain vigilant to handle any situation, according to state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
An emergency was declared in the hospitals of the federal capital on the instructions of Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, The Express Tribune reported.
According to the international seismological centre, apart from Pakistan, tremors were also felt in India, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China and Kyrgyzstan.
Earthquakes are common in Pakistan.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad in January this year.
The deadliest quake hit the country in 2005, which killed more than 74,000 people.
(With PTI Inputs)
