A major earthquake has hit Kyrgyzstan, killing at least 65 people, officials in the Central Asian nation have said.
The 6.6-magnitude quake struck at 2152 local time (1552 GMT) on Sunday, destroying more than 100 buildings in the southern province of Osh.
The emergencies ministry said rescue workers were still searching for survivors under the rubble.
Destruction was concentrated in Nura, a remote village in the mountains close to the border with China.
Health officials said the remote location of the village was hampering rescue efforts.
"The picture we saw was frightening. The village of Nura is fully destroyed, 100%, there are many injured," AFP news agency quoted Emergency Situations Minister Kamchybek Tashiyev as saying.
Residents throughout Central Asia felt the quake.
The US geological survey said its epicentre was in Tajikistan and initially estimated its magnitude at 6.3 - although it later revised that to 6.6.
Officials in China's Xinjiang province reported minor damage to houses, but so far no casualties have been reported there.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7653979.stm
The 6.6-magnitude quake struck at 2152 local time (1552 GMT) on Sunday, destroying more than 100 buildings in the southern province of Osh.
The emergencies ministry said rescue workers were still searching for survivors under the rubble.
Destruction was concentrated in Nura, a remote village in the mountains close to the border with China.
Health officials said the remote location of the village was hampering rescue efforts.
"The picture we saw was frightening. The village of Nura is fully destroyed, 100%, there are many injured," AFP news agency quoted Emergency Situations Minister Kamchybek Tashiyev as saying.
Residents throughout Central Asia felt the quake.
The US geological survey said its epicentre was in Tajikistan and initially estimated its magnitude at 6.3 - although it later revised that to 6.6.
Officials in China's Xinjiang province reported minor damage to houses, but so far no casualties have been reported there.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7653979.stm