6.4-magnitude earthquake shocks Afghanistan, no immediate reports of casualties

KABUL - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 jolted north Afghanistan on Thursday with no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

With the epicenter being in Jurm district of the northern Badakhshan province, the tremor took place at 01:57 pm local time.

The USGS said the epicenter of the quake, with a depth of 206.6 km, was initially determined to be at 36.51 degrees north latitude and 70.60 degrees east longitude.

The earthquake was also felt in Badakhshan's neighboring Takhar, Kunduz, Balkh, Baghlan and Samangan provinces as well as the eastern Laghman and Nangarhar provinces.

In Afghanistan's capital city Kabul, local residents, feeling the tremors, rushed into the streets to escape the possible collapse of their houses and apartments.

Officials including those with the national disaster management authority have yet to release the report on possible casualties.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Pakistan, its National Seismic Monitoring Center said a 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked several cities, with the epicenter located in the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.

The quake was felt in several parts of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, eastern Punjab province and federal capital Islamabad.