india earthquake
Bystanders walk past the remains of damaged buildings in north-eastern India after an earthquake struck on 3 January Dibyangshu Sarkar/ Getty

An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 has struck in Afghanistan and Pakistan on 8 January, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has reported. Pakistan's Meteorological Department has noted a magnitude of 5.9 at 2.07pm local time.

The epicenter of the earthquake has been recorded as being 32km from the city of Jarm in northern Afghanistan, with a depth of 219km. No reports of casualties have been reported so far.

Tremors are also believed to have been felt in India, particularly in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. Cities as far away as New Delhi were also affected, with buildings in the Indian capital reportedly being evacuated.

Pakistan and Afghanistan began trending on Twitter around 9.30am on 8 January as hundreds of people took to social media to report the earthquake. Many in Pakistan have expressed concern, citing this as the second earthquake in the country since 2016 began.

The latest incident comes just days after eight people were killed in an earthquake in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur. Leading scientists at India's Union Home Ministry have also recently warned of a 8.2 magnitude earthquake that could hit northern India, causing widespread disruption.

More details soon...

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