Islamabad: At least nine people died and 44 others were injured as a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan on Tuesday as the epicentre of the quake was located in Afghanistan, media reports said.

At least 19 houses were partially damaged by the earthquake, Abdul Basit, a senior official in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government told local media on Wednesday.

The quake was primarily felt in northern parts of the country, including Rawal­pindi, Islamabad, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Haripur, Mardan, Chitral, Charsadda and others.

The earthquake also jolted different cities in Punjab, though no loss of life was immediately reported. Shocks were felt in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Okara and other cities.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred near Jurm town in north-eastern Afghanistan in the Hindukush region and had a depth of 187 kilometres.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the quake was a magnitude 6.8, whereas the USGS put the magnitude at 6.5.

The earthquake also jolted the mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), where the resultant landslides created fear. However, no loss of life was immediately reported, according to Dawn.

Rescue 1122 said landslides damaged a cattle farm in Yasin Ghizer, resulting in the death of livestock.

Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel directed officials to put Poly Clinic and Pims hospitals on high alert. He asked the hospitals’ administration to prepare themselves to deal with any emergency.

According to initial reports, cracks appeared in the Al-Janaat Mall in Rawalpindi and buildings in Islamabad’s Sector E-11.

People come out on the streets in Islamabad as an earthquake was felt on Tuesday night.

A spokesperson for the Punjab Emergency Services said Rescue 1122 officials were launching search and sweep operations across the province.