At least 100 dead after strong quake shakes S. Asia

At least 100 people have been killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan -- and numerous people trapped under debris -- after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook southern Asia on early Monday afternoon (9:32 GMT) amid fears the death toll will rise further.

The death toll, which includes 76 in Pakistan and 24 in neighboring Afghanistan, could climb in coming days because communications were down in much of the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range area where the quake was centred.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was 45 kilometers south-southwest of Jarm, Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan.

In cities throughout Pakistan, powerful tremors prompted people to flee from their homes and offices, conjuring memories of a 2005 earthquake in Kashmir and the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) province in which over 80,000 people were killed.

Local television footage showed people running into the streets amid fears of major human and material damage.

“Initially, I couldn't figure out what was happening. But later I realized it was an earthquake. Everything in front of me was shaking," Sabir Hussein, who along with hundreds others gathered at an open space in Peshawar, said.

“I grabbed my daughter and pushed my wife out [of the house]," he said.

The earthquake also affected mobile phone networks in several parts of the country, which will likely hinder search-and-rescue efforts.

The Pakistani government's official earthquake monitoring division, meanwhile, has predicted “moderate" aftershocks over the course of the next 24 hours.

Army Chief Gen. Raheel shairf has ordered army troops not to await further orders and to simply deploy to the most badly affected areas.

Communication and power systems have also been adversely affected after electricity stations and mobile phone towers collapsed in several remote parts of the country.

Ahmed Kamal, a spokesman for Pakistan's National Disaster management Authority, told reporters that all of the country's rescue agencies had been called up as reports of the damage were coming in and being assessed.

According to Kamal, the northwestern KP province was worst affected by the quake, where citizens have been directed to evacuate densely populated areas.

According to rescue officials, at least 11 people were killed -- and over 100 injured -- in KP province alone, while scores of mud houses in the mountainous areas were flattened by the quake.

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority, meanwhile, has announced that the country's airports and aviation buildings had been largely unaffected.

The Grand Korakaram Highway, which links Pakistan to China, has reportedly been blocked in different areas due to landslides caused by the earthquake.

Several other major roads and arteries countrywide -- especially in mountainous regions -- have also been blocked due to landslides, according to local authorities.

The government, for its part, has declared a countrywide state of emergency, while reserve medical staff has been called up to cope with the growing number of injured.

Pakistan straddles the Eurasian tectonic plate, making it historically prone to earthquakes.

Afghanistan, too, was badly shaken by Monday's earthquake, with capital Kabul rocked by powerful tremors, leaving power and phone connections down temporarily.

Six people were killed and 69 others were injured in Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan, said Najeeb Kamawal, head of the local public hospital.

Local observers in the Afghan capital say the quake lasted more than one minute, prompting numerous people to flee their homes.

According to the Afghan Health Ministry, medical teams have been dispatched to the country's most affected areas, while hospitals countrywide have been put in a state of high alert.

Afghan government officials, meanwhile, are currently holding an emergency meeting in Kabul to coordinate a national response to the crisis.

In the northern Afghan province of Takhar, at least 12 girls were killed after a stampede broke out in their school.

Monday's quake was the strongest to hit Afghanistan in decades, according to local observers.

The quake was also felt in several parts India, including capital New Delhi and the regions of Indian-held Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana.

People in the capital could be seen fleeing their homes, while metro services ground to a halt, although there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

Aftershocks, however, have been predicted, with officials advising citizens to seek shelter in safe areas.