The epicentre of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), was located 42 kilometres east-northeast of Jalalabad, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake struck at 11:47 pm (1917 GMT), USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.