Deadly 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The latest on a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan felt across South Asia (all times local).

3:30 p.m. - In Afghanistan's Takhar province, west of Badakahshan, at least 12 students at a girls' school were killed in a stampede as they tried to get out of the shaking buildings, a local official says.

Sonatullah Taimor, the spokesman for the Takhar provincial governor, says another 30 girls have been taken to the hospital in the provincial capital of Taluqan.

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3:00 p.m. - A rescue official in northwestern Pakistan says a massive earthquake in neighboring Afghanistan that was felt across the region caused at least five deaths.

Mohammad Bilal says another 100 people were wounded in home collapses in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after Monday's earthquake.

State-run Pakistani TV had earlier reported that someone had died when the roof of a home collapsed in the eastern city of Kasur.

The 7.5-magnitude earthquake, with an epicenter in a remote part of northern Afghanistan, was felt in cities across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In Kabul, the earthquake caused widespread power outages and telephone cuts.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and occurred in a remote area of the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. It said the temblor occurred at a depth of 212 kilometers (130 miles).

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2:40 p.m. - State-run Pakistani television says at least one person died when the roof of a home collapsed because of a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan that could be felt across the region.

It says the roof collapsed Monday in the eastern city of Kasur. It says other homes collapsed in northern Pakistan, without providing further details.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked authorities to utilize all resources to help any victims of the earthquake.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, with an epicenter in a remote part of northern Afghanistan, was felt in cities across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

In Kabul, the earthquake caused widespread power outages and telephone cuts. There were no immediate reports of major damage.

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2:00 p.m. - A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan rocked cities across South Asia.

Strong tremors were felt in Kabul, New Delhi and Islamabad on Monday. In the Pakistani capital, walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic, reciting verses from the Quran.

Vineet Gahlot, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and an epicenter deep in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Pakistan state TV reported the same magnitude.

The full extent of the damage and the number of possible casualties was not yet known.