Earthquake tremors felt in Islamabad, KP cities

Epicentre of quake, measuring 5.4 on Richter scale, was in the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan

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A representational image of a Richter scale measuring an earthquake. — AFP/File
A representational image of a Richter scale measuring an earthquake. — AFP/File
  • Earthquake's epicentre located at depth of 215km in Hindu Kush.
  • Tremors felt in Peshawar, Swat, North Waziristan and other cities.
  • In Punjab, Lahore, Multan, Chakwal and Sargodha also felt tremors.

Earthquake tremors were felt in Islamabad and other parts of the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

The KP cities rocked by the quake tremors include Peshawar, Swat, North Waziristan, Hangu, Mardan, Malakand, Buner, Shangla, Dir, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Kohistan, Abbottabad and Kurram.

Meanwhile, Punjab cities Lahore, Multan, Chakwal and Sargodha also jolted.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that the earthquake originated at 10:57am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) and had a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter scale.

The epicentre of the quake, the Met Office added, was in the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan at a depth of 215 kilometres.

Today's tremors come nearly two months after a 4.7 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and KP in June.

The quake was preceded by another one of 3.2 magnitude in Karachi in the same month.

In May, a 2.3 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of the metropolis including Gadap Town, Katohar and adjoining areas of Malir district.

Before that, a 3.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Karachi's Malir district on April 24.

It is pertinent to mention that earthquakes are not uncommon in Pakistan, as the country is situated on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.