An earthquake measuring 5.6 struck Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region today and officials said they expected casualties.
The quake, centred 275 km (170 miles) northeast of Kabul, was also felt across parts of northern Pakistan and India, including the respective capitals Islamabad and New Delhi, reporters said.
"The quake was very strong and lasted for 10 seconds. We are expecting casualties because the earthquake was very strong but at the moment we don't have any reports," Munshi Abdul Majid, the governor of the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan, where the epicentre was located, told Reuters news agency.
The US Geological Survey said on its website the quake's magnitude was 5.6 and the epicentre was at a depth of 177 km (110 miles) and 65 km (40 miles) south of the city of Faizabad.
About 73,000 people were killed in northern Pakistan by a powerful earthquake in October 2005.
Reuters