DUSHANBE, November 20, 2013, Asia-Plus -- The government has begun repairing residential buildings in the Vahdat Township that were affected by a November 10 earthquake.

Orif Nozimov, a spokesman for the Committee on Emergency Situations (CES) under the Government of Tajikistan, says Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank) has begun construction of two residential buildings for the tremor-affected people in Vahdat.

To-date, 13 tons of wheat flour, 6.5 tons of sugar, 6.5 tons of rice, 2.6 tons of macaroni, 2,600 liters of vegetable oil, and 160 tents have been distributed to the earthquake-affected people in Vahdat, Nozimov said.

The November 10 earthquake reportedly destroyed 118 homes and partially damaged 259 homes in the villages adjacent to the Vahdat Township.  Twelve persons have sustained various injuries in the earthquake.

The epicenter of the earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5.0 on the MSK-64 scale, was near the village of Andigon in Vahdat, some 26 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe.  In Dushanbe, the quake reportedly measured 4.0 on the MSK-64 scale.