Strong earthquake kills 13 in Afghanistan, Pakistan

March 22 (UPI) -- At least 13 people were dead and dozens more were left injured in Afghanistan and Pakistan after a strong earthquake struck the region on Tuesday night.

The temblor hit at a magnitude 6.5 at 9:17 p.m., local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which located its epicenter about 24 miles southeast of the town of Jurm in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan Province that borders Tajikistan.

The U.S. officials said it struck at a depth of 116 miles, while their Pakistani counterparts said the strike registered at a magnitude 6.8.

Afghanistan's health minister Sharafat Zaman Amar said four people had died and at least 75 others were inured across the country due to the strike, while Pakistan's disaster management authority for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province announced early Wednesday that at least nine people had died and another 47 were injured.

At least 19 homes across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been damaged, it said.

Islamabad Police reported the earthquake was felt hundreds of miles away in the Pakistani capital city, resulting in residents to be evacuated from the Khudadad Heights apartment building after cracks appeared.

"The district administration has been requested to conduct a technical inspection of the building to confirm habitability," it said in a statement.

The earthquake was followed by at least one aftershock that was registered as a magnitude 3.7, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, described the earthquake in a tweet as "relatively severe" and said the Ministry of Interior has given officials direction to help those affected.

"Health centers are ready all over the county," he said. "All governors in the provinces have been ordered to order their health personnel to be ready.

"May the people of the country be healthy and safe."