5.9 magnitude earthquake shakes Pakistan and Afghanistan, no damage reported

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck parts of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan on Saturday, sending panicked residents across Pakistan rushing out of their homes, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The epicenter was in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. It was felt in Islamabad, as well as in the eastern province of Punjab and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan. It was also felt in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Emergency services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said district administrations were placed on alert.

Anwar Shahzad, a spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said that initial assessments had found no reports of casualties or damage.

Pakistan lies along an active seismic zone and is frequently affected by earthquakes. A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in 2005 killed tens of thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan region divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both countries.

The Associated Press