Quake hits Pakistan, Afghan; no casualty reports

ISLAMABAD — A strong earthquake hit Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains today, shaking large areas of the country and neighboring Pakistan, officials said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which struck at 10:14 p.m. (1744 GMT) and was centered in a remote part of the Hindu Kush mountains, about 160 miles north of Kabul. Given the area’s isolation, it could take many hours for such reports to emerge.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, though Pakistani officials said it was 6.1.

Tremors were felt in Kabul, in Pakistan’s northwest and in its capital, Islamabad, causing some buildings to shake.

Chaudhry Qamaruz Zaman, chief of Pakistan’s meteorological office, said the temblor struck about 125 miles underground in the quake-prone region, so it was unlikely to have caused significant damage.