Huge Earthquake Shakes South Asia

Large parts of Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan were shaken by a powerful earthquake on Monday. The quake had a magnitude of 7.5 and was centered near Jarm in northeast Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake was felt many miles away in cities including Lahore, Pakistan, where Supreme Court justices were among those running into the street as buildings shook for up to two minutes, NBC News reports. In India, the quake was felt strongly at least as far south as Delhi, and while electricity and phone services have been hit in some areas, there have been no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries, the Times of India reports.

In Pakistan, reports of deaths and building collapses are beginning to come in from northern parts of the country and a state of emergency has been declared in some areas, according to the Express Tribune. In Afghanistan, casualty figures are unknown, but the quake could have had a devastating effect: NBC notes that the quake came a few days after rain, meaning the region's mud-built homes are in greater danger of collapse. "There are reports of casualties and destruction" in remote parts of the northern province of Badakhshan, where the quake was centered, a regional official tells the AP. (More earthquake stories.)