Earthquake rattles Afghanistan, Pakistan

KABUL: A moderate earthquake jolted northeastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan early on Sunday, seismologists said.

The 5.9-magnitude quake struck at 12:53 am (2023 GMT Saturday) around 255 kilometres northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which struck in the remote Hindu Kush mountain range, was registered at a depth of 220 kilometres, it said. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

Northern Afghanistan and Pakistan are often hit by earthquakes, especially around the Hindu Kush range near the collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, where seismic activity is high.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northwest Pakistan and Kashmir killed 74,000 people and displaced 3.5 million in October 2005.