Earthquake rocks South Asia, hundreds feared dead
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-10-08 17:16

A school in the nearby city of Rawalpindi also came down, killing one child and injuring six others, while Afghan officials said at least two children had been killed near the town of Jalalabad.

Witnesses in Islamabad said the ground shook for over 30 seconds, rocking buildings and causing widespread panic. A second, less severe jolt lasted about five seconds.

Many mosques in Islamabad started reciting special prayers straight afterwards.

The quake was felt strongly in Indian Kashmir, causing panic and bringing people pouring out onto the streets of the summer capital Srinagar.

"This is the strongest earthquake I have ever witnessed in my life," said Aisha Begum, 84.

Pakistani army soldiers and rescue workers gather at the site of a building collapsed by an earthquake in Islamabad October 8, 2005.[Reuters]

Screams were heard from across Srinagar as people fled homes, shops and offices fearing they would be buried under rubble.

Men spontaneously started reading verses from the Muslim holy book the Koran out loud and women beat their chests in a display of bereavement.

Doctors at Srinagar's main hospital said more than 200 people were admitted with injuries and shock, while more than 100 people were being treated at an army hospital in the northern town of Uri alone.

The tremor also brought down part of the state-owned television's main transmitter tower on a hill overlooking Srinagar.

The disputed Kashmir region is an area of high seismic activity that lies in the collision zone of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.