A strong earthquake shook Pakistan on early Friday morning (October 23, 2009), and scared many people. The quake was also felt in Afghanistan and, by some reports, in the Indian capital Delhi, and measured 6.1/6.2 on the Richter Scale.

The quake’s epicenter was in the Hindu Kush Mountain, on Pak-Afghan border in Pakistan’s northwest, and it swayed buildings and shook grounds in Pakistan at about 2 am (2000 GMT) in the morning. The quake woke people up in many parts of the country including Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, Hangu, and Lahore. Tremors lasted from a few to several minutes in different parts of the country. However, no damage to life or property has been reported.

In Peshawar, many people came out of their houses in panic. In a private hostel for students, a few students are said to have fainted in panic and some stayed for quite a long time outside the hostel building after the quake faded. In some parts of the country, frightened people rushed to the mosques and offered prayers, calling divine intervention.