Moderate earthquake rocks Pakistan: official

An official says a moderate earthquake has struck northwest Pakistan, causing panic in towns and cities, but there are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Mohammad Riaz, a senior scientist at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, says the magnitude 6.0 quake was felt in the north-western city of Peshawar and several nearby areas on Saturday.

Peshawar is the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistan is often hit by earthquakes. In September 2013, a magnitude-7.7 quake struck the Baluchistan province, killing at least 376 people and creating a new island in the Arabian Sea.