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A powerful quake hit northeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending people running out of their homes in the capital Kabul and rocking neighbouring Pakistan.

The 6.2-magnitude quake struck in the Hindu Kush region and was nearly 200 kilometres (125 miles) underground, the US Geological Survey said.

There was no immediate word on damage or casualties from the quake, which hit near Feyzabad shortly after 8:00 am (0300 GMT).

In Kabul some 260 kilometres away, hundreds of people ran from their homes. "Everyone in my neighbourhood rushed out," a resident said.

It was also felt in the eastern city of Jalalabad. People fled their homes but there was no word on damage.

In Pakistan, officials estimated its magnitude at 6.0 on the Richter scale. There were no immediate reports of losses.

Afghanistan is often hit by earthquakes, especially around the Hindu Kush mountain range that is near the collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, where seismic activity is high.

The country has been battered by days of heavy spring rains and avalanches, with some reports saying 80 people were killed over the past weeks.

Up to 25,000 people have been affected and hundreds airlifted to safety, according to the United Nations.