The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed that a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck early Thursday morning in eastern Tajikistan, 67 kilometers west of Murghob and with a depth of 20.5 kilometers.
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According to the agency, several aftershocks followed the initial quake, of magnitude 5.0, 4.6, 4.9 and 4.8 respectively.
"Little or no population" will be exposed to landslides from the quake, the USGS said, adding that the epicenter appeared to be located in Upper Badakhshan, a province bordering Afghanistan and China.
Witnesses said the quake was perceptible in Kazakhstan, about 657 kilometers northeast of the epicenter, and that the shaking lasted at least 10 seconds. A witness in Pakistan, about 491 kilometers south of the epicenter, said the shaking was "terrifying, it was continuous shaking for almost a minute."
The China Earthquake Networks Center reported that the quake had a magnitude of 7.2 and a depth of 10 kilometers.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the country in 2015 being the deadliest earthquake within 300 kilometers of Murghob as it killed 399 people.