5.8-intensity earthquake hits India, tremors felt in several Pakistani cities. PHOTO: CREATIVE COMMONS

LAHORE: A shallow earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck in northern India on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.



Tremors were also felt in some areas of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkwa in Pakistan.



The quake was only 10 kilometres deep and struck at 6:57 GMT about 140km northeast of Sialkot, said the USGS.



The epicentre was located around 450 kilometres north of New Delhi, according to an official at the Indian Meteorological Department.



"The quake measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and struck along the border of the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh," the official, who declined to give his name, told AFP.



People in affected cities came out of their homes immediately after the tremors were felt.



The cities affected in Pakistan included Lahore, Peshawar, Jhang, Sargodha, Narowal, Gujrat, Sialkot, Skardu, Chiniot and Kasur.



There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.



Last month, a 7.8-magnitude quake, centred in southeastern Iran killed 41 people. In Pakistan, the worst-affected area had Mashkhel, in Balochistan, where the lack of paved roads, electricity, mobile phone coverage and medical facilities has hampered the rescue effort.



Tremors were felt in Sindh and Punjab as well, causing panic and immediate evacuation of offices, towers and residential buildings.



Correction: An earlier version of the story contained an inaccurate map of Pakistan. The error is regretted.