A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 has struck northeast Afghanistan, with shaking felt across parts of Tajikistan, Pakistan and as far away as New Delhi, officials and witnesses say.
The earthquake, which struck at 9:17 p.m. local time on Tuesday, was centered in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, not far from the borders with Pakistan and Tajikistan.
There were conflicting reports about the magnitude. The U.S. Geological Survey put it at 6.5, India’s National Center for Seismology put it at 6.6, and Pakistan’s National Seismic Centre put it at 6.8.
The earthquake struck about 188 kilometers below the surface, which is fairly deep and limits the potential for damage.
Light to moderate shaking was reported across the region, as far away as Kabul, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and New Delhi. Shaking was also reported in parts of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Nepal.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are regularly hit by moderate to strong earthquakes, especially around the Hindu Kush mountain range. A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir in October 2005, killing more than 79,000 people.