DUSHANBE: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Tajikistan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake struck around 5:37am at a depth of about 20.5 km.
USGS estimated that “little or no population” will be exposed to landslides from the quake.
Its epicentre appeared to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous eastern region that borders Afghanistan and China.
A 5.0-magnitude aftershock hit the area about 20 minutes after the initial quake.
The sparsely populated territory is surrounded by the towering Pamir Mountains.