News for earthquake-affected cities in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan
October 8, 2005
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday destroyed villages, triggered landslides and killed thousands.
Damage was extensive in Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan territory divided between India and Pakistan.
Officials in the Indian-controlled portion reported at least 250 people killed, including 20 soldiers who perished in a landslide. At least 850 people were injured and about 2,700 homes were destroyed or damaged across Jammu-Kashmir, said senior state official B.B. Vyas.
The USGS reported at least five aftershocks in Pakistan, with the strongest measuring magnitude 6.3 and located about 70 miles north of Islamabad.
Maj. Richard McNorton, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said there were no reports of quake-related injuries among the more than 18,000 American forces in Afghanistan.
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