ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- At least 25 people died in northern Pakistan on Thursday when a major earthquake rattled the mountainous region, officials said.
The 5.8-magnitude quake hit the Gilgit region, about 300 miles north of Islamabad, before dawn, Pakistan's Meteorological Department said.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 30 miles south-southeast of Gilgit in the Himalayan foothills.
Residents contacted by telephone said that aftershocks rumbled through the valley for several hours.
Four villages in the nearby Astore Valley were badly damaged. About 6,000 residents spent the winter night out in the open as the aftershocks continued, officials said.
Officials in Islamabad said that the toll could rise. A massive dust cloud caused by the quake reduced visibility to 30 yards, making it difficult for helicopters carrying medical and other supplies to reach the area, the ministry for Kashmir and northern areas said in Islamabad.
Medicines, blankets and tents were being sent by road. There were reports of substantial property damage and officials said they were awaiting details.
Most of the damage was reported from the Gilgit and Hunza Valleys, home of some of the world's highest mountains -- the Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindukush mountains.
It was the second deadly earthquake in the region this month. At least 17 people were killed, 65 injured and four villages extensively damaged on Nov. 3 when an earthquake of similar strength caused mudslides and boulders to fall.
