More than 200 people died in the 7.5 magnitude quake that hit Afghanistan on Monday. The earthquake caused structures to collapse and created panic among people. Though the quake’s epicentre is at the Hindu Kush region, near the Afghan city of Jarm, tremors were also felt in Pakistan, India and Tajikistan. Pakistan has recorded hundreds of casualties.

The panic itself took the lives of 12 girls, aged 10 to 15 years old, in a school in Afghanistan. The girls were caught in a stampede as they fled out of their school to evacuate.

As of writing, the death toll recorded by Afghan, Pakistani and Indian officials are at 229, with hundreds of others injured. In Pakistan, there has been at least 154 deaths, while 74 deaths have been recorded in Afghanistan’s northern provinces.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 7.5 magnitude quake was 223 kilometres (139 miles) below the surface.

The aftermaths of the quake are harder to assess because of the mountainous region and poor infrastructure. Infrastructure in the region hit by the epicentre were made of mud brick, which is prone to collapse.

The USGS classified the quake as orange alert, which requires regional and national response.

In April, South Asia was also shook by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Thousands of deaths were recorded, while other people were missing or injured. The April quake was also felt in other South Asian countries like India and Pakistan.

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