Over 1,000 feared dead in Pakistan

Fresh, strong after-shocks were being felt in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan hours after quake, according to a report by Reuters.

The death toll in J&K  has moved up to 174, a government official said.

More than 1,000 people might have been killed in Pakistan, according to President Pervez Musharraf's spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan, the Reuters report added.

An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale rocked North India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the morning hours today.

The quake, recorded at 9.20 am, was felt in Delhi and adjoining areas in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kahsmir, Uttaranchal, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

The epicentre of the quake was in West Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In Jammu and Kashmir, the first tremor was felt at around 9.20 am and the second was reported 15 minutes later.

Tremors were felt across Rajasthan intermittently in the period of 15 minutes. Minor tremors were felt in western parts of Ahmedabad.

Pakistan's meteorological officials warned of major tremors in the next few days following today's massive earthquake, which is considered the biggest in the last 100 years.

The magnitude of earthquake expected in the next couple of days could be around 5-6 on the Richter Scale, Qamar-ul-Zaman Chaudhry, director general of the meteorological department,  was quoted by state-run APP.

He advised people to stay away from unsafe, tall and stone-made building for the next couple of days.