At least 20 killed in east Afghanistan earthquake

KABUL, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - At least 20 people were killed in an earthquake that hit the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar early on Friday, regional authorities said. Hundreds of buildings in the earthquake zone were also damaged or destroyed. The epicenter of the 5.5-magnitude quake was located 85 km (53 miles) southeast of the capital, Kabul and 140 km (87 miles) west of the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Two hours after the quake, the affected area was hit by a 5.1-magnitude aftershock.

A 5.4-magnitude tremor was also registered overnight near Pakistan's capital of Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi, The News International newspaper said. No deaths or damage have been reported.