The magnitude 7.7 quake was centred in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, 45km (28 miles) south-west of Jarm, the US Geological survey reported.

In Pakistan, local news channels showed people evacuating office buildings.

There is no official word on casualties but one report said four people had been killed in north-west Pakistan.

Officials said the quake happened at a depth of 212km (133 miles).

A BBC correspondent in the Pakistani city of Lahore said phone lines were down following the quake.

People in the Indian capital Delhi ran into the streets after the tremor struck, witnesses said.

The region has a history of powerful earthquakes.

In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 quake in Pakistan-administered Kashmir left more than 75,000 people dead.

In April this year, Nepal suffered its worst earthquake on record with 9,000 people killed and about 900,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

(BBC News)