An aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 rattled Pakistan's quake zone today, but there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
The aftershock was centred about 85 miles north of Islamabad in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, according to John Bellini of the US Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado.
In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-held Kashmir, residents and relief officials felt the shockwave, but witnessed no damage.
Bellini said the aftershock was to be expected after the 7.6-magnitude main quake, which flattened entire villages and killed an estimated 79,000 people.
"To get a 6.0 after a 7.6 is not uncommon at all, and these will probably happen sporadically over the next few months," he said.
Mr Bellini said final calculations will not be available for a few days, but if the preliminary reading holds, it would be the second aftershock of at least 6.0 so far. He said there have been 21 aftershocks that registered at least 5.4, and hundreds of smaller ones.
AP