5.3-magnitude quake shakes Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck central and northern Pakistan Friday, meteorological officials in Islamabad reported.

The quake, which was also felt in the capital Islamabad and the eastern city of Lahore, occurred at 1149 GMT, the US Geological Survey said. It had its epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range along the Afghan border, some 240 km from Kabul.

There were no reports yet of casualties.

In 2005 nearly 80,000 people died in Pakistan and India, when a 7.6-magnitude quake hit Pakistan-administered Kashmir.