Page 2 - Earthquakes

At least 10 killed, 260 injured after 6.3 magnitude quake jolts Afghanistan

Preliminary reports suggest that the earthquake struck near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif and the town of Khulm in the early hours of Monday morning local time

Buildings collapse as 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey; no casualties

A strong earthquake shook western Turkey on Monday, causing at least three buildings that were damaged in a previous tremor to collapse, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The magnitude 6.1 quake was centred in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management agency, AFAD. It struck at 10.48 pm local time at a depth of 5.99 km. The quake, which was followed by several aftershocks, was felt in Istanbul, and the nearby provinces of Bursa, Manisa and Izmir. At least three unoccupied buildings and a two-story shop collapsed in Sindirgi, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The structures had already been damaged in a previous earthquake. Two people were admitted to hospitals due to panic-related falls, the minister added. So far, we have not identified any loss of life, but we are continuing our assessment, Sindirgi's district administrator Dogukan Koyuncu told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Many people remaine

Earthquake of magnitude 3.6 strikes Tibet, no causalities reported so far

The Tibetan Plateau is known for its seismic activity due to tectonic plate collisions

Mild earthquake of 2.9 magnitude recorded in Karnataka's Vijayapura

An earthquake of 2.9 magnitude was recorded in Vijayapura district on Wednesday, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said. The community need not panic as both the magnitude and intensity observed are low, it added. The earthquake occurred at 07:43:38 AM, and the epicentre was 2.5 kms north west of of Hattarkihal village in Yaranal gram panchayat of Basavana Bagewadi taluk, Vijayapura district, at the depth of 05 Km, KSNDMC said in a statement. "As per the seismic intensity map of the earthquake from the epicentre, the intensity observed is low and the tremor might have been felt up to a radial distance of 50-60 kms from the epicentre," it said. This type of earthquake would not create any harm to the local community as the intensity observed is low, though there might be vibrations felt locally, it further said, the epicentre falls in Seismic Zone III and the region is void of any structural discontinuities as per the tectonic map.

Magnitude 4.6 earthquake jolts Pakistan after recent tremors in region

Earthquakes of moderate 4.0 intensity had hit Pakistan on Saturday and Sunday also

Bhutan hit by earthquake of magnitude 3.1 following earlier tremors

Geo-physically, Bhutan is located in the young Himalayan Mountains and considered to be one of the most seismically active zones in the world, the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre stated

Earthquake of magnitude 4.1 strikes Afghanistan, no causalities reported

Earlier on September 28, another earthquake of magnitude 3.9 struck the region at a shallow depth of 10km, making is susceptible to aftershocks

Typhoon blows into Philippines, complicating disaster response after quake

A typhoon blew into the northern Philippines on Friday, complicating the country's disaster response to a deadly earthquake in a central province and two other recent storms. Typhoon Matmo blew into Dinapigue town in Isabela province from the Pacific with sustained winds up to 130 kph and was to blow northwestward over a vast agricultural valley and mountain provinces, where residents in some flood- and landslide-prone villages were evacuating. Schools suspended classes, and cargo and fishing vessels were prohibited from entering the rough seas along the path of the typhoon. It was expected to blow into the South China Sea on Saturday on a course toward southern China, Philippine forecasters said. Hong Kong's observatory said Matmo would pass by the territory on an expected path toward Hainan Island and the mainland's Guangdong province over the weekend. Matmo, locally known as Paolo, was the 16th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. The Southeast Asian archipelago ..

Rescuers search for survivors as Philippines earthquake kills at least 72

Rescuers used backhoes and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the central Philippines after an earthquake killed at least 72 people and injured more than 200 others. The death toll was expected to rise from the 6.9 magnitude quake that hit about 10 pm Tuesday and trapped an unspecified number of residents in the hard-hit city of Bogo and outlying rural towns in Cebu province. Sporadic rain and damaged bridges and roads have hampered the race to save lives. A dangerous quake On Wednesday night, rescuers in orange and yellow hard hats used spotlights, a backhoe and bare hands to sift through the rubble of concrete slabs, broken wood and twisted iron bars for hours in a collapsed building in Bogo city. No survivor was found. The earthquake occurred at a dangerously shallow depth of 5 kilometres and was centred about 19 kilometres northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province where officials reported about

Strong earthquake kills 69 in central Philippines days after deadly storm

An offshore earthquake of magnitude 6.9 collapsed walls of houses and buildings late Tuesday in a central Philippine province, killing at least 20 people, injuring many others and sending residents scrambling out of homes into darkness as the intense shaking cut off power, officials said. The epicentre of the earthquake, which was set off by a local fault, was about 17 kilometres northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province where at least 14 residents died, disaster-mitigation officer Rex Ygot told The Associated Press by telephone. The death toll in Bogo was expected to rise. Workers were trying to transport a backhoe to hasten search and rescue efforts in a cluster of shanties in a mountain village hit by a landslide and boulders, he said. It's hard to move in the area because there are hazards, Glenn Ursal, another disaster-mitigation officer told The AP, adding some survivors were brought to a hospital. Six people, including three coast guard ...

Earthquake of magnitude 3.6 strikes Myanmar, no causalities reported so far

According to the NCS, the tremor occurred at a shallow depth of 15 km, which increases the likelihood of aftershocks and surface-level shaking

Earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hits northwest Venezuela, no damage reported

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted northwest Venezuela on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The agency said the epicentre was 15 miles (24 kilometres) east-northeast of the community of Mene Grande in Zulia state, more than 370 miles (600 kilometres) west of the capital, Caracas. Venezuela's government did not immediately release information on the earthquake, which the US agency said had a depth of 5 miles (7.8 kilometres). People felt the earthquake in several states, and in neighbouring Colombia. Many evacuated residential and office buildings in areas near the border. No damages were immediately reported in either country. Mene Grande is on the eastern coast of Lake Maracaibo, an important area for the country's oil industry. Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves. State-owned television did not interrupt its programming during or after the earthquake, including a science-focused segment led by President Nicols Maduro.

Earthquake of magnitude 6.1 hits Indonesia, damages reported; no casualties

A magnitude-6.1 earthquake shook Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua early Friday, causing scattered damage in a coastal town. No casualties were immediately reported. At least two houses and the main bridge in the town of Nabire in Central Papua province collapsed, said Suharyanto, the chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. A government office, a church and an airport had minor damage. Overall, the situation is safe and under control, Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said in a video message. People ran from houses or to higher ground when the quake occurred and telecommunication networks in Nabire and several other towns in the region were cut off, agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement. The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.1 quake was centred 28 kilometres south of Nabire at a depth of 10 kilometres. Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami as the earthquake wa

Afghanistan quake destroys 5,230 homes; 362 villages still unreachable

An initial United Nations assessment of the impact of Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake found 5,230 homes destroyed and 672 damaged in 49 villages but the UN hasn't been able to get to the vast majority of the remote villages. Shannon O'Hara, the coordination chief for the UN humanitarian office in Afghanistan, said Monday that damaged roads in the country's rugged and mountainous east where the 6.0 magnitude quake struck have made it extremely difficult to assess the impact in the 441 affected villages. A series of aftershocks ranging from 5.2 to 5.6 in magnitude added to the difficulties, she said. The earthquake struck on August 31, killing at least 2,200 people, and that figure could rise as more bodies are recovered. The United Nations estimates the quake has affected up to 500,000 people, more than half of them children and some of them Afghans forcibly returned from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran. As an example of the difficulties the UN team has faced, O'Hara said it

Afghanistan hit by series of earthquakes in 24 hrs, latest of magnitude 4.5

This came after two earthquakes of magnitudes 5.8 and 4.1 struck the region in the late hours of Thursday, as per the NCS

Death toll from Afghan quake jumps to over 2,200 as aid agencies seek funds

Hundreds more bodies have been recovered from houses in mountain villages destroyed by a major earthquake in Afghanistan early this week, pushing the death toll to over 2,200, a Taliban government spokesman said Thursday. The shallow, 6.0-magnitude quake struck the mountainous and remote eastern part of the country late Sunday, leveling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most of the casualties have been in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep river valleys separated by high mountains. Some 98% percent of the buildings in the province were damaged or destroyed, according to an assessment issued Thursday by the Islamic Relief charity. Aid agencies said they were sorely in need of staff and supplies to tend to the region's survivors. Muhammad Israel said the quake unleashed a landslide that buried his home, livestock, and belongings in Kunar. All the rocks came down from the mountain," he said. I barely got my children out of ther

Earthquake of magnitude 3.8 hits Tibet, no casualties reported so far

The Tibetan Plateau is known for its seismic activity due to tectonic plate collisions

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes Afghanistan again, WFP sends emergency aid

Earlier, an earthquake struck Afghanistan late Wednesday night at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks

Rescuers race to find Afghan quake survivors as death toll crosses 1,400

The United Nations warned of an exponential rise in casualties from a major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as the Taliban said the death toll passed 1,400 on Tuesday, with more than 3,000 people injured. The figures provided by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid were just for the province of Kunar. Sunday night's powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck several provinces, causing extensive damage. It flattened villages and trapped people under the rubble of homes constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood that were unable to withstand the shock. Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief efforts, forcing Taliban authorities to air-drop dozens of commandos to evacuate the injured from places where helicopters cannot land. Aid agency Save the Children said one of its teams walked for over 12 miles (19 kilometers) to reach villages cut off by rock falls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members. An aftershock of 5.2 magnitude clos

Afghanistan earthquake death toll rises to 1,400, thousands injured

The death toll from a strong earthquake in Afghanistan's east rose to 900, with 3,000 people injured, an official said Tuesday as rescue teams scoured the area for survivors. The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in a mountainous region, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours. The injured are being evacuated, so these figures may change significantly, Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, told The Associated Press. The earthquake caused landslides in some areas, blocking roads, but they have been reopened, and the remaining roads will be reopened to allow access to areas that were difficult to reach.