More Than 300 Killed as 7.5-Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

By Mark Leberfinger, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

October 27,2015; 9:23PM,EDT

 

 

A major earthquake rocked Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on Monday.
More than 300 people were killed, according to the Associated Press.

People Run For Safety After 7.5-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Pakistan

Dozens of homes were destroyed in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, in two remote and sparsely populated rural districts, local police told the AP.
The 7.5-magnitude temblor struck at 1:40 p.m. local time Monday, 45 kilometers north of `Alaqahdari-ye Kiran wa Munjan, Afghanistan, the United States Geological Survey reported.
The USGS initially listed it was a 7.7-magnitude; Pakistan's earthquake center preliminarily recorded the earthquake at magnitude-8.1.
The earthquake could be felt in Kabul, Afghanistan, the nation's capital, and in Peshawar, Pakistan, according to the USGS.

Dry weather will aid recovery efforts in the coming days.
"Dry weather will continue for the next several days with high pressure over the region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Eric Leister said.
An Afghan man clears rubble from a damaged house following a strong earthquake, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
"Conditions will feel warm during the day but quite chilly at night with low temperatures falling to near or below 0C across northern Afghanistan through the middle of the week," Leister said.
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The chilly conditions could be an issue for those without left without proper shelter.
Tremors from the quake felt were in northern India, where people fled buildings in panic, The Associated Press said.
Pakistani leaders ordered the military to start rescue operations in all affected areas without seeking official permission, The Nation newspaper said on its website.
Monday's earthquake is the strongest in the region since the 2005 Kashmir earthquake that was a magnitude-7.6. A magnitude-4.8 aftershock occurred about 30 minutes after the major quake, the USGS reported.