Moderate 5.4 quake hits northern areas

ISLAMABAD: A moderate 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck the far northern region of Pakistan early Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake's epicentre, at a depth of 35 kilometres, was recorded some 119 kilometres from Mingora in the northern Swat District and 130 kilometres from Gilgit.

The quake struck near the border between Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and Indian Kashmir around 1:30 am local time.

Pakistan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.