Earthquake Hits Afghanistan, No Word On Casualties

KABUL (Reuters) -- An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude has jolted parts of Afghanistan, but it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties or damage, officials said.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Badakhshan provincial capital Faizabad, 260 kilometers northeast of Kabul. It was also felt in neighboring Pakistan and Tajikistan.

"It was a strong quake but we haven't heard anything of casualties or damage so far," said the police chief of Badakhshan, Aqa Noor Akintooz.

Authorities were trying to make contact with remote regions, he added.

Mountainous Afghanistan has suffered a series of earthquakes that have killed thousands of people in the last decade.