Quake of 4,7 points occurs in east of Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - There was an earthquake with a
magnitude of 4.7 points in the east of Tajikistan on Wednesday morning
that affected part of the Tajik Pamirs and neighbouring Afghanistan. The
epicentre was 350 kilometres southeast of Dushanbe in the area of the
Hindu Kush mountain range, the Dushanbe seismological station told
Itar-Tass.
Weak earth tremors were felt in Khorog, the administrative centre of
the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomy of the republic and several surrounding
villages. There was no destruction and casualties, according to the Tajik
Committee on Emergency Situations.
It is already the second earthquake since the beginning of the week.
The first quake with magnitude 5.5 occurred on March 21 at the
south-eastern section of the Tajik-Afghan border. Up to two thousand earth
tremors occur in Tajikistan each year on the average, most of them the
local residents do not feel because of their minor strength.
However, in a recent exclusive interview with Itar-Tass Tajikistani
world-renowned scientist seismologist Academician Sabit Negmatullayev did
not rule out that "closer to 2020" a very strong earthquake, comparable
with the Japanese, can occur at the Pamir-Hindu Kush knot."
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the
junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu
Kush ranges. They are among the world's highest mountains and since
Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World,"
translated from "Pamir." They are also known by the Chinese name of
Congling or "Onion Range" (from the wild onions growing in the region).