Quake hits Afghanistan, neighbouring countries

The epicentre of the earthquake was in Hindukush mountains

A powerful earthquake has hit Afghanistan and neighbouring countries but no damage or casualties have been reported so far.

Seismologists in Pakistan and India measured its intensity between 5.8 and 6.3 on the Richter scale.

They said the epicentre of the earthquake was in Hindukush mountains in Afghanistan's Takhar province.

Buildings shook in several major cities including the Afghan capital Kabul and Pakistan's capital Islamabad, more than 500 kilometres (300 miles) away.

The earthquake, which struck soon after midday on Thursday, was also felt in the Indian capital Delhi, the northern Pakistan city of Peshawar and Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan.

Foundations shaken

House foundations and light fixtures shook for more than 30 seconds in Islamabad.

The 2001 Gujarat quake cost 19,000 lives

In Peshawar, which is near the Afghan border, shaking continued for more than 10 minutes.

One resident of Kabul said it was the strongest earthquake to hit the city in his lifetime.

Locals say that in this latest earthquake, villages are isolated and mostly inaccessible so it would take a lot of time to have a clear idea of the destruction and casualties if any.

Takhar and the neighbouring Badakhshan provinces were struck twice by earthquakes in 1998 which killed 8,500 people.

Tens of thousands of homes were also destroyed by the tremors.

Gujarat devastation

Earthquakes and seismic activity are common in this part of the world and particularly in the Hindukush mountains although they are not usually felt over such a wide area.

In January last year, an earthquake measuring between 6.9 and 7.9 on the Richter scale struck the western Indian state of Gujarat.

It killed at least 19,000 people, injured another 166,000 and made more than a million homeless.