Earthquake Hits Central Asia’s Ferghana Valley

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(RFE/RL) — A strong earthquake has hit Central Asia’s Ferghana Valley, with tremors felt far from the epicenter and some people leaving their homes in panic.

The U.S. Geological said the quake measured 6.2 with the epicenter some 40 kilometers southwest of Ferghana, in eastern Uzbekistan.

There have been no reports so far of casualties or damages.

Reuters reports many residents in the Uzbek town of Ferghana left their apartment blocks after being woken by strong shaking.

In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, a duty officer at the Emergency Services Ministry said buildings there did not appear damaged, but added some residents were spending the night on the street as a precaution.

A Russian news reports said the quake was felt as far as Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan some 300 kilometers from the epicenter.

The Ferghana Valley is shared by Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and is susceptible to earthquakes.

In 2008, a powerful quake killed more than 70 people in Kyrgyzstan.

In 1966, the Uzbek capital Tashkent was seriously damaged by a 7.5 earthquake that left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

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