Kyrgyzstan quake destroys hundreds of homes

More than 600 houses were damaged or destroyed in Kyrgyzstan by a powerful 8-magnitude earthquake that struck near the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border on Wednesday, emergencies services said on Thursday. The epicenter of the quake was just inside Kyrgyzstan's Batken region, but neighboring Uzbekistan bore the brunt of the damage. At least 13 people were reported killed and dozens injured as the quake rocked Ferghana, an Uzbek city of some 200,000 residents just 42 km (25 miles) from the epicentre. In Kyrgyzstan, 15 people were injured, but there were no reports of deaths. Some 200 houses were almost fully destroyed in Kyrgyzstan's Batken and Osh regions, emergencies services said. Tent camps have been organized for those left homeless by the tremor. Earthquakes are relatively frequent in the mountainous region of Central Asia. The Ferghana valley, which is split between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, is one of Central Asia's most densely populated areas.