NEW DELHI, India, Jan. 26 -- A strong earthquake reaching as high as 6.9 on the Richter scale rocked western India and parts of Pakistan Friday, killing more than 60 people.
Reports say at least 60 people were killed in the western Indian city of Ahmedebad and two in the southern Pakistani city of Hyderabad.
All of the victims were killed by collapsing buildings.
Residents in India's capital, New Delhi, and other areas rushed out of their homes in fear as the ground rattled beneath them. Buildings swayed in some areas, causing some people to panic.
The tremors lasted for about one minute. Seismologists said the epicenter was 15 miles from the town of Bhuj, in the western state of Gujarat.
The quake struck early Friday as people across India prepared to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Republic Day, a national holiday commemorating the country's transition to a republic. Thousands of soldiers and police were already on alert to guard against possible terrorist attacks.
Residents in Pakistan's capital, Karachi, said the tremors lasted for more than two minutes. The last earthquake to hit the subcontinent in 1999 killed about 100 people in the lower Himalayan region.
