KABUL, Afghanistan —  Officials say a strong earthquake has hit northeastern Afghanistan, a quake that rattled the capital Kabul for about a minute.

The U.S. Geological Survey says Sunday's quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was located in the northeastern province of Badakhshan in the Hindu Kush mountains. The area is often hit by earthquakes, but is sparsely populated.

A Badakhshan police official, Fazel Ahmad Naderi, says the quake was strong but noted that his cell phone still worked, meaning that towers hadn't been toppled. The quake hit about 12:50 a.m. local time and Naderi says he won't know about damage until daylight.

The quake rattled buildings in Kabul, about 160 miles southwest of the epicenter.