At least three people were killed when a moderate 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted various parts of northern Pakistan early today.

According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the epicentre of the quake was 23 km north-east of capital Islamabad and it was 10 km deep.

Two women and a nine-year old boy were killed when their house collapsed due to the earthquake in the outskirts of northwestern town of Abbottabad, police said.

The quake, which hit at 1:59 am local time, was felt in several districts.

The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at 5.1-magnitude.

Pakistan faces frequent earthquakes as it is located in an active seismic zone. A powerful quake of 7.6-magnitude in 2005 killed over 74,000 people in the country.