Story highlights At least 306 deaths across Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, officials say

"Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread," USGS says

Shaking felt in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) The death toll from the earthquake that shook parts of South Asia has risen above 300.

The number of dead in northwestern Pakistan has risen to 229, disaster management officials said, bringing the overall toll for Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to 306.

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.

Monday's magnitude-7.5 earthquake was similar to a magnitude-7.6 quake in nearby Kashmir that killed more than 70,000 in 2005. But unlike the quake 10 years ago, this one happened deep inside the Earth, some 223 kilometers (139 miles) below the surface.

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