An earthquake measuring 6.2 rocked southwestern Kyrgyzstan and eastern Uzbekistan early Wednesday, triggering panic in the region, seismologists and witnesses said.
The quake hit at 1:35 am (1935 GMT Tuesday) shaking the region some 404 kilometers (251 miles) southwest of the capital Bishkek, with the epicenter some 42 kilometers (26 miles) southwest of the Uzbek town of Fergana, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake struck the border region at a depth of just 9.2 kilometers (5.7 miles).
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"We were woken up by a noise and strong jolts which lasted for about 40 seconds. The house began to shake," said Albek Seitov, a resident of the Kyrgyz town of Och in the Fergana Valley.
"I thought it was a dream, a nightmare. I went out in the street like my neighbours. Everyone is afraid, panicking," he said.
The Fergana Valley is an area shared uneasily by Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek ethnic groups and the scene of periodic violence and unrest since the 1991 Soviet collapse.
