Magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits Pakistan and Afghanistan

People stand outside their offices after an earthquake was felt in Islamabad (Anjum Naveed/AP)

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake has rattled much of Pakistan and parts of neighbouring Afghanistan, sending panicked residents fleeing from homes and offices and frightening people in remote villages, Pakistani officials and the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The epicentre was in the Hindu Kuch mountain range in Afghanistan, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.