7.2-magnitude earthquake rocks eastern Tajikistan

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake has hit the eastern region of the Central Asian country of Tajikistan, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says.

The USGS said on Monday that the quake was centered in an area located some 345 (214 miles) kilometers east of Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, at 7:50 GMT.

The tremor struck a location some 111 kilometers (65 miles) southwest of Karakul, a sparsely populated mountainous area, at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles).