6.8-magnitude earthquake hits eastern Tajikistan

An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit eastern Tajikistan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake struck around 5:37 am local time (0037 GMT) at a depth of about 20.5 kilometres (12.7 miles).

The USGS estimated that “little or no population” would be exposed to landslides from the quake.

Its epicenter appeared to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous eastern region that borders Afghanistan and China, about 67 kilometres from the small mountain town of Murghob.

E.M