DHAKA: A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck major cities of Pakistan, including the northern areas on Monday, leaving at least 130 dead and scores injured due to building collapses, landslides and stampedes.

The earthquake struck the country at 2:09pm (local time) on Monday, reports Dawn.

The death toll could climb in coming days because communications are down in much of the remote mountainous region.

Forty minutes after the first earthquake, an aftershock of 4.8 magnitude was reported in the same area. Aftershocks are expected to continue in the affected areas.

The magnitude of today’s earthquake is close to the previous earthquake of 2005, but the destruction was more widespread then due to the shallow epicenter of the quake, according to analyst Faheem Zaman.

The earthquake in 2005 was at a depth of 26 km, while today’s earthquake was at a depth of 212.5 km.

At least 194 injured were brought to Swat’s Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, which does not have adequate medical facilities.

Tremors have been felt in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Kohat and Malakand.

Tremors were also felt in Kabul and New Delhi.

Moreover, at least 12 students were killed in a girl’s school in Afghanistan’s Takhar province, sources told Al Jazeera, adding that the death toll was expected to increase.

BDST: 2007 HRS, OCT 26, 2015
RR

** 71 dead as quake hits Pakistan