KABUL/ISLAMABAD: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan late on Friday, two months after more than 300 people were killed by a quake in the same mountainous region.

Strong shocks were felt in the Afghan capital Kabul at 11:14pm local time (1914 GMT) and in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, waking sleeping people and driving them out of their houses.

Tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi, officials said. The quake was also felt in the Kashmir region.

Know more: Guide: What you should do when an earthquake strikes

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake, initially reported as magnitude 6.4, was at a depth of 126.5 miles (203 km) and centred 51 miles (82 km) southeast of the town of Feyzabad, capital of the Afghan province of Badakhshan.

In Pakistan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued a red alert soon after the earthquake.

More than 30 people were injured as houses or walls collapsed in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar, said emergency rescue service spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi.

A total of 41 people were taken to hospitals in the city, according to doctors and rescue officials.

Hamid Nawaz, the head of Pakistan's disaster management authority, said they were still assessing damage. He confirmed that some old homes and walls collapsed in Peshawar, but he refused to share further details.

In Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, some residents remained outside their homes despite the chilly winter weather, fearful of aftershocks.

A magnitude 6.2 quake is considered strong and can cause severe damage.

With harsh winter weather setting in, any widespread destruction of buildings and houses would create severe hardship.

A magnitude-7.5 quake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan on Oct. 26, destroying thousands of houses and killing more than 300 people.