6.3 quake jolts country at midnight

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: Various parts of the country were rattled by a powerful earthquake late Friday night, a private television channel reported. It was centred at approximately 75 kilometres southeast of Fayzabad, a district in Badakhshan province of northern Afghanistan, according to the United States Geological Survey. The tremors were felt in Lahore and Islamabad, Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sahiwal, Mianwali, Mardan, Sheikhupura, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Haripur, Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, Multan, Kohat, Swat, Bagh, Jhelum, Pakpattan, Vehari, Shakargarh, Fateh Jung, Charsadda, Lower Dir, Rawlakot, Hangu, Dera Ismail Khan, Mansehra, Abbotabad and other upper parts of the country. The tremors caused panic among people, who left their homes and came out on roads and streets. The jolts caused cracks in some houses, but no causality was reported. Minor to moderate tremors were also felt all across the region, including parts of Tajikistan and northern India. No damage was reported, however, due to the depth of the earthquake. On October 8, 2005 a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, the channel reported. Monsoon rains triggered massive floods in Pakistan six weeks ago that spread across the country. UN officials have termed it one of the largest humanitarian disasters in living memory. The floods have left an area almost the size of England under water.