7.2-magnitude earthquake, aftershocks jolt Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Tajikistan on Monday afternoon, shaking buildings hundreds of miles away in Islamabad and New Delhi.

The quake struck at 12:50 p.m. local time, with a 4.8-magnitude aftershock about 25 minutes later. Two others occurred within an hour.

A separate, 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit neighboring Kyrgyzstan.

The epicenter of the larger earthquake Monday was 68 miles west of the town of Murghob and 214 miles east of Dushanbe, Tajikistan's capital.

The country's Emergency Committee is investigating damage and casualties.

A sovereign nation since it declared its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union, landlocked Tajikistan is about the size of Wisconsin with a population of more than 8 million. The country abuts Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan and Pakistan at the junction of the Himalaya, Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain ranges.