At least 30 people are reported to have been killed after an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck Afghanistan, with the effects felt hundreds of miles away.
The United States Geological Survey said the epicentre was south of Feyzabad in northern Afghanistan, in a remote part of the Hindu Kush near the Tajikistan and Pakistan borders.
But the impact was experienced as far away as New Delhi, Islamabad and Lahore, say witnesses.
In Kabul, the earthquake caused widespread power outages and telephone cuts but there were no immediate reports of major damage.
Twelve schoolgirls are reported to have been killed in a stampede while trying to escape from shaking buildings in the Afghan city of Taloqan.
Hundreds more may have been injured but most of those affected live some way from communications so precise figures will take some time to emerge.
Several in Pakistan took to Twitter immediately afterwards, describing what they had experienced.
@CricketRebel said: "Just felt earthquake in #lahore, whole house shook for 10 seconds or most. It was by far the most terrifying quake I have felt. #Pakistan."
Saad Hamid in Islamabad told Sky News: "[I'm] really concerned about the homes and the families of people in the north.
"Islamabad is clearly in panic as most roads are jammed due to traffic rush to homes after the earthquake."
Sky's Sam Kiley said the eipicentre was an extremely remote, mountainous part of Afghanistan and as a result casualties were not expected to be as high as they have been after some quakes in the region.
The Times of India reported that strong tremors were felt across New Delhi and the national capital region at around 2.45pm local time (9.15am UK time).
Residents in Kashmir, where electricity and phone lines are apparently down, told ANI news that it was "terrifying".
Sky's India Producer Neville Lazarus said: "We rushed out of our building and went down for some time. As soon as we did we saw the whole street full of people.
"They've gone back in ... now but it was quite a scary sort of a moment because of what happened six months ago in Nepal.
"In 2005, Pakistan experienced something almost on the same parallel as this one - almost 7.6 on the scale - an earthquake that devastated the region.
"An estimate is that 60,000 people died in that earthquake and over four million were rendered homeless and we've just heard from the Pakistani prime minister telling all the agencies involved in relief to go out and help."
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