More than 12 people were killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by a strong earthquake felt across thousands of kilometres, but the region appeared Wednesday to have dodged the mass casualties usually associated with a tremor of such scale.

The United States Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.5 quake was centred near Jurm in north-eastern Afghanistan, but the depth of 187 kilometres (116 miles) mitigated extensive damage.

The quake, which struck around 09:30 pm (1700 GMT) Kabul time on Tuesday and lasted more than 30 seconds, was felt from central Asia to New Delhi in India — more than 2,000 km away.

“It was a powerful earthquake and we feared maximum damage due to the intensity — that’s why we issued an alert, but fortunately, our fears proved wrong. Residents panicked due to the magnitude of the earthquake, but the damage was minimal,” Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency Rescue 1122 service in Khyber Pakhtunkhw.

The region is frequently hit by quakes — especially in the Hindu Kush Mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

By Jane Kibathi.