There has been a strong earthquake in northern Afghanistan, near the border with Tajikistan, registering about seven points on the Richter scale.

Early reports from the area say at least five people have been killed; a number of villages have also been severely damaged.

The epicentre of the quake -- near the city of Rostaq -- was close to where a smaller earthquake killed several thousand people in February.

However a BBC correspondent in the region says that the latest quake struck in the morning, when most people were out of doors.