A massive earthquake struck the Hindu Kush mountain region in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday. It had a magnitude of 7.7, the Indian Meteorological Department told the Associated Press. The quake was 196 kilometres deep reported Reuters, and the epicenter was 254 kilometres north-north-east of Kabul, wrote The Guardian.

Reports of casualties have been coming in from different areas, with The Dawn reporting that at least 71 people have been killed and hundreds injured as walls and roofs collapsed in various areas. The BBC reported that 12 children were killed in a stampede at a girls' school in the Afghan province of Takhar while trying to get out of the building. Reuters said more than 100 people have been killed in both countries. However, the official toll has not been released yet.

The US geological survey, on its website, predicted that there was a one-third chance that the toll could climb to 1,000, and millions of dollars worth of damage had been done.

The earthquake's effects were also felt across north India, with the strongest jolts hitting Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. Phone lines went dead in Srinagar and two Army personnel injured in Kashmir's Sopore district, the Press Trust of India reported. Mild tremors were also felt for several minutes in Delhi, where Metro services were reportedly halted. The Supreme Court adjourned its proceedings for the afternoon, FirstPost reported.

North Pakistan and its surrounding areas have a history of massive earthquakes. In 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck the region, killing 75,000 people.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government would provide any assistance required:

Afghanistan's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said it is feared that there are heavy casualties.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter said he would return to the country, cutting short a visit to London:

People took to social media to post pictures of the earthquake: