Afghanistan-Pakistan quake: at least 275 people dead

Baku. 27 October. REPORT.AZ/ Rescue efforts are being stepped up to help those affected by the magnitude-7.5 earthquake which hit remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday, Report informs referring to the foreign media.

At least 275 people are known to have died, and up to 2,000 were injured.

Rescue teams have been sent to remote mountainous areas where the effects of the quake are still unclear.

The quake's focus was deep, reducing its impact. Victims included 12 Afghan schoolgirls killed in a stampede as they tried to leave their classes.

"They fell under the feet of other students," a disaster official in the province of Takhar told Reuters.

Reports said many people across the region, afraid of a new quake, spent the night sleeping outside in temperatures close to freezing.

Afghanistan's Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said the earthquake was the strongest felt in the country in recent decades.

The government was working to provide assistance for those affected, he said.