5.9 magnitude earthquake shakes Pakistan and Afghanistan, no damage reported

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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — 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. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.1.

Tremors were 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 spokesperson 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.

There was no immediate statement from Afghan officials regarding the earthquake. Afghanistan has also suffered repeated quakes in recent years that have claimed thousands of lives.