Afghanistan Earthquake; Death Tolls Over 200

The powerful earthquake that struck northeastern Afghanistan on Monday also rattled people in Pakistan, India and Tajikistan, killing dozens, collapsing structures and creating panic.

The panic in itself was deadly: In one northern Afghan town, 12 schoolgirls died in a stampede as they tried to evacuate their school during the quake.

The girls, between 10 and 15 years old, were crushed in their Taluqan city school's stairwell, between the first and second floors, local police spokesman Abdul Khalil Asir said.

Early reports from Afghan, Pakistani and Indian officials put the death toll at more than 229, with hundreds of others injured.

At least 154 deaths have been reported in Pakistan, according to authorities there. Afghan officials report at least 74 deaths in that country's northeastern provinces. One death has been reported in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.