Islamabad, 21 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) – At least nine people were killed and scores wounded after a strong earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday night, said officials.

Reports of the extent of the destruction began gradually trickling in from remote areas, but daybreak would reveal a fuller picture.

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake with the epicentre in the Hindukush mountains in Afghanistan hit at around 10 pm (1730 GMT), forcing people to run of their homes in fear.

The earthquake struck at the depth of 187 kilometres, according to The US Geological Survey. Pakistan's Metrological Department put the magnitude at 6.8.

There are children among the dead, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The agency said at least 30 people were injured.

Most deaths have occurred in the country’s remote north-western region that borders Afghanistan, the agency said. The casualties were caused by collapsing houses and crumbling walls.

A state of emergency has been declared in most mountainous districts in the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the worse affected region, according to local officials.

Pakistan's Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel ordered authorities to declare a state of emergency in Islamabad's hospitals.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the disaster agencies to reach the remote regions as soon as possible, his secretariat said.

Photo: EPA