Strong earthquake rattles South Asia

A magnitude-6.6 earthquake has struck South Asia, shaking buildings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, although there are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was centred near Chitral in remote northwestern Pakistan, close to the Afghan border, at a depth of 210km.

Residents left their homes in Kabul and Islamabad when the quake struck, with buildings swaying for more than a minute in both capitals. Similar reports were received from across northern and central Pakistan.

People in the Pakistani city of Lahore, 630km from the epicentre, also reported feeling the tremors.

A Reuters witness in Chitral said the tremor was strong but no major damage was visible.

A 7.5-magnitude quake struck the area on Oct. 26 last year, killing more than 300 people and destroying thousands of homes.

In Kabul, Omar Mohammadi, a spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said officials were collecting information but no reports of casualties or damage had been received.

Tremors were also felt in the Indian capital, New Delhi, and in Kashmir, witnesses said, some people in high-rise buildings in the Indian capital rushing into the streets. The Delhi underground system was also halted briefly, commuters told the NDTV channel.

The Hindu Kush area bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan is a seismically active area, with quakes often felt across the region. Just over a decade ago a 7.6-magnitude quake in another part of northern Pakistan killed about 75,000 people.