Earthquake Hits Northern Pakistan, Afghanistan

Wednesday, January 19 4:43 PM SGT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP)--A powerful earthquake jolted northern Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan shortly after noon Wednesday. But there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 was centered in the Hindu Kush mountain range in central Afghanistan, some 250 kilometers northwest of Peshawar, said an official at the meteorological office in northwestern Pakistan.

In northern Afghanistan, previous earthquakes have killed thousands of people.

The earthquake was felt in the remote and rugged northern region but villages were not reporting any serious damage, said a spokesman for Afghanistan's northern-based opposition alliance, Engineer Aria Lai.

It was possible that more remote regions suffered some damage, but it often takes hours before information reaches settled areas, he said.