2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
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| |
| Date | October 26, 2015 |
|---|---|
| Origin time | 13:39 AFT, 14:09 PKT (09:09 UTC)[1] |
| Magnitude | 7.5 Mw[1] |
| Depth | 212.5 km (132.0 mi)[1] |
| Epicenter | 36.441°N 70.717°ECoordinates: 36.441°N 70.717°E[1]Afghanistan |
| Areas affected | |
| Max. intensity | VI (Strong) |
| Aftershocks | 7 of 4.1+[2] |
| Casualties | 365 deaths and 2,203 injured |
The 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake was a magnitude 7.5 earthquake[1] that struck South Asia on 26 October 2015, at 13:39 AFT, 14:09 PKT (09:09 UTC)[1][3] with the epicenter 45 km north of `Alaqahdari-ye Kiran wa Munjan, Afghanistan.[4][5] An aftershock of 4.8 magnitude struck 40 minutes after the main event.[6][7] Mobile phone services were choked for several hours because of the high voice traffic.[7]
According to the latest reports, more than 345 people have died, mostly in Pakistan.[8] Tremors were felt in Pakistan, Tajikistan andKyrgyzstan.[9][10][11] The earthquake was also felt in the Indian cities of New Delhi and Indian Occupied Kashmir, and in the prefectures of Kashgar, Aksu, Hotan, and Kizilsu in Xinjiang, China while damage was also reported in Afghan capital Kabul.[8][12]The earthquake, measuring 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale, occurred at a depth of 210 km.[13]
The last major earthquake in the same region of similar magnitude (7.6 Mw) was almost exactly ten years ago in October 2005, which resulted in 87,351 deaths, 75,266 injured, 2.8 million people being displaced, and 250,000 farm animals dying. The notable difference between this earthquake and the 2005 earthquake is the depth of the seismic activity. The 2005 earthquake was 15 km deep while this earthquake was 212.5 km deep.
Contents
[show]Earthquake[edit]
The mountains of South Asia, pushed up by the collision of tectonic plates, are prone to devastating quakes.[1] An earthquake in April 2015, Nepal's worst in 80 years, killed more than 9,000 people. In 2005, tens of thousands were killed in an earthquakecentered in the Kashmir region.[14]
The earthquake had occurred on 26 October 2015 at 14:45 (09:09 UTC) at a depth of approximately 212.5 km, with its epicentre approximately 82 km southeast of Feyzabad, Afghanistan. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially measured the quake's intensity at 7.7, then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5. The Pakistan Meteorological Department, however, said the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1. According to USGS, the epicentre was 67 km from Chitral.[15][16][17][18]
Aftermath[edit]
| Country | Deaths | Injuries | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
 Pakistan | 248 | 1,665 | [8][19] |
 Afghanistan | 115 | 538 | [8][20] |
 India (Indian-administered Kashmir) | 2 | N/A | [8] |
| Total | 365 | 2,203 |
The earthquake killed at least 248 people in Pakistan,[16] and 115 in Afghanistan where 5 were killed in Jalalabad and 12 students were killed in a stampede after a school collapsed in Takhar.[20][21] In Pakistan, tremors have been felt in major cities. At least 194 injured were brought to a hospital in Swat and more than 100 to a hospital in Peshawar. There was widespread damage in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The most affected areas from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa include Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Swat and Chitral.[22]
In India, Delhi Metro spokesman told AFP “All of around 190 trains plying on the tracks were stopped at the time of the earthquake." In Pakistan, Karakoram Highway was closed off.[23]
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