Large swathe of region rattled by 5.9 earthquake, including Kabul 

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit parts of Central and South Asia on Friday, jolting countries from Tajikistan to Afghanistan and India. 

Strong tremors were also felt across Pakistan, which forced people to flee their houses and buildings in panic.

Badakhshan was especially affected by the quake as the epicenter was in Tajikistan, close to the border with Afghanistan. While tremors were extremely strong in the province, no reports of casualties or damage were received. 

The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 5.9 and centered 35 km west of Murghob in Tajikistan.

The Tajikistan Emergency Situations Ministry said the epicenter was 420 km east of the Tajik capital Dushanbe near the border with China.

However, the seismic service of the country’s Academy of Sciences told Russia’s RIA Novosti that the quake’s intensity was measured at 6.1. The news agency said there were no casualties or damage, citing the Committee on Emergency Situations.

Monitoring agencies in the region meanwhile pegged the quake as being a bit more severe. India’s National Center for Seismology said its magnitude was 6.3, while the National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Pakistan measured it at 6.4.

But according to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude was 5.9 and the epicenter was at a depth of 90km.

Tremors were felt across Hindukush’s Himalayan Mountain range, government officials in Islamabad, Kabul, and New Delhi said.

In Pakistan, the tremor lasted for around 30 seconds, meaning its impact was strong, local media reported.

In Kabul, residents reported having felt the tremors in some parts for close to one minute but no damage was immediately reported in the Afghan capital. 

Regional governments in the north-west and in the central province of Punjab in Pakistan meanwhile put emergency services on high alert, anticipating damages to property and loss of life.