Quake jolts northwest Pakistan

Moderate earthquake of 5.0 magnitude jolts northwest Pakistan near border with Afghanistan, no reports of casualties.

ISLAMABAD: A moderate earthquake of 5.0 magnitude jolted northwest Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of casualties, an official said.

The quake struck at 2:27 pm (0927 GMT) with its epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range, meteorological department chief Arif Mehmood told AFP.

Tremors were felt in several cities in northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its capital Peshawar, he said.

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, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.