Major Quake Rocks Pakistan-India Border; More than 3,000 Killed

October 8, 2005

More than 3,000 people were reported killed Saturday as a major 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Pakistan-India border. The quake hit both those countries, along with Afghanistan.

According to officials, some 1,000 people died in the Pakistani Kashmir region alone. The death toll was expected to rise as buildings collapsed and were reduced to rubble.

Tremors were reported hours following the killer quake, and communications were down throughout the region.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at 8:50 a.m. local time and was centered some 60 miles northeast of Islamabad in the forested mountains of Pakistani Kashmir.

The quake collapsed a 10-story apartment building in Islamabad and dozens of people were reportedly feared trapped in the rubble. Many homes, schools, mosques and government offices were damaged, and hundreds of injured people were moved to hospitals.

The quake also reportedly was felt in parts of Bangladesh, but no casualties or damage were reported.

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