5.3-magnitude quake hits parts of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: An earthquake measuring 5.3 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab late Sunday night.

The tremors were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, Swabi, Mohmand, Bajour, Buner, and their adjacent areas, local media outlets reported.

People came out of their homes in panic and started reciting verses from the Holy Quran, however, no loss of life and property was reported from any part of the country.

According to the US Geological Survey data, the epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Koh Hindukush mountainous region in Afghanistan at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Earthquake claims six lives in Afghanistan

At least six people were killed and nine others injured after an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan overnight, an official said on Monday.

According to the AFP, the 5.3-magnitude temblor that hit districts along the eastern border of Pakistan comes less than three months after a powerful quake killed more than 1,000 people, also along the same frontier.

"We are collecting information from other areas regarding casualties and damages," deputy minister for disaster management Sharafuddin Muslim told AFP.