Monday, May 14, 2012 -
A moderate earthquake killed one person in southern Tajikistan on Sunday morning.
The 5.7 magnitude temblor struck at 4.28 am near Kulob city in Khatlon province, which is located close to the border with Afghanistan, geologists said.
Tandovchi Jamoat, a villager of the district of Samsolik close to the epicenter, was killed when a wall of his house collapsed on him, the Asia-Plus news agency reported.
Dozens of residential houses and other buildings collapsed and crushed at least 20 heads of livestock, according to the Committee for Emergency Situations press secretary Nurov Nargis.
The quake also resulted in a rockfall on the major Labidzhar-Tavildara highway, burying hundreds of feet of road in rubble, some reaching heights of 20 feet.
Teams from the ministry of emergency situations and other authorities are working to clear the highway which paralyzed traffic.
Small earthquakes are almost a daily occurrence in the country, but moderate and strong earthquakes are uncommon.
Tajikistan is Central Asia's smallest and poorest country, with mountains covering 93% of its territory.