Powerful earthquake kills 58 people in mountains of Kyrgyzstan

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A powerful earthquake struck the mountains of Central Asia, killing 58 people and destroying more than 100 buildings in a village in southern Kyrgyzstan, emergency officials said Monday. The quake near the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan hit the remote village of Nura hard, injuring about 50 people in addition to the deaths, said Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Abdusamat Payazov. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties elsewhere. The quake's magnitude was 6.6 and the epicenter was in Kyrgyzstan, the US Geological Survey said. The ministry said, however, the epicenter was in Tajikistan. It said a 5.1 magnitude quake followed a few hours later on Monday.