Massive quake in Afghanistan, tremors felt in north India (Lead)

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) A massive earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale, was recorded in Afghanistan on Friday evening, the IMD said.Tremors of the quake, which occurred at 5.09 p.m. and whose epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains 246 km north by northeast of Kabul, were also felt across north India as far as the Delhi-NCR region.Tremors were felt for several seconds in various parts of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh at 5.13 p.m., an official of the meteorological office in Chandigarh told IANS.The depth of the quake was 190 km, as per the India Meteorological Department, which initially estimated its magnitude at 7.1 before revising it.Details of any casualties or damage were not yet known.
--IANS vg/vd