An earthquake struck in the Soviet Republic of Tadzhikistan at 6 A.M. local time today . It measured 5.4 on the Richter Scale . The quake unleashed a 50-foot wall of dirt and sodden mud that buried two small towns . The center of the quake was located about 25 miles southwest of Dushanbe , the capital of the republic . More than 70 villagers were buried by the landslide, it said. It is estimated that 1,000 are dead ; most of them peasants who were buried beneath mud as they slept . This is the second quake to hit the Soviet Union in less than two months . A destructive earthquake in Tajikistan on December 30 registered 6.9 and left 25,000 dead .
An earthquake struck in the Soviet Republic of Tadzhikistan at 6 A.M. local time today . It measured 5.4 on the Richter Scale . The quake unleashed a 50-foot wall of dirt and sodden mud that buried two small towns . The center of the quake was located about 25 miles southwest of Dushanbe , the capital of the republic . It is estimated that 1,000 are dead ; most of them peasants who were buried beneath mud as they slept . This is the second quake to hit the Soviet Union in less than two months . A destructive earthquake in Tajikistan on December 30 registered 6.9 and left 25,000 dead .