Powerful earthquake shakes Pakistan, Afghanistan

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
A strong earthquake early Tuesday struck remote northeastern Afghanistan and shook neighboring Pakistan, the scene of a devastating quake two months ago. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.7 quake was centered in the remote Hindu Kush mountains of northeastern Afghanistan. It struck shortly before 3 a.m. local time in Pakistan, 2:30 a.m. in Afghanistan. The quake - centered about 105 kilometers (65 miles) southeast of Faizabad in the sparsely populated Badakhshan province - was felt more than 320 kilometers (200 miles) away in Islamabad, Pakistan, and in Kabul, where the shaking lasted several seconds. The area is about 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the center of the October 8 quake that killed about 87,000 people in northwestern Pakistan and Indian Kashmir. Salim Akhtar, an official at the Peshawar earthquake center, said he did not consider it an aftershock of the October quake. The tremor sent people scurrying outside in areas hit by the October quake, Pakistani television stations reported. The stations also reported landslides near the town of Bagh in Pakistani Kashmir, one of the areas worst hit by the October quake. A magnitude-6 quake can cause severe damage.