Tremors from 5.5-magnitude quake rattle twin cities, KP

• Epicentre located 60kms northwest of Rawalpindi at depth of 12km.
• Punjab PDMA reports no loss of life, property damage so far.
• Tremors continuation of recent earthquake in Kashmir: expert.

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Moderate tremors were felt in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Saturday after an earthquake rattled several cities across northern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), the earthquake occurred at 12:31pm, with a magnitude of 5.5 and a reported depth of 12 kilometres. The epicentre was located 60 kilometres northwest of Rawalpindi, at latitude 33.90 N and longitude 72.66 E.

Cities of Punjab, including Attock and Chakwal, also reported tremors in the region. In KP, jolts were felt in Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Shabqadar and other cities. 

However, no immediate reports of casualties or damage were received from the affected regions.

On March 31, a 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook Karachi and nearby areas, according to the Met Office.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the quake hit at 4:11 pm, with its epicentre 75 kilometres north of Karachi at a depth of 19 kilometres. A day later, on April 1, minor tremors measuring 3.9 were felt in the Barkhan district of Balochistan.

However no damage or injuries were reported, but the residents panicked after the tremors.

'Ran outside in fear'

The latest quake caused panic among the residents of the twin cities, with many evacuating their residences and offices. "My building in sector F-11 swayed left and right. People rushed out of their homes," said a resident of Islamabad.

Journalist Waqar Bhatti, who is also a resident of the federal capital, recalled his experience and said: "I was standing on the balcony of my first-floor house in the B-17 sector of Islamabad when I suddenly felt a strong jolt. The parrots in their cage began fluttering in panic. My wife shouted, "Zalzala araha hai!" (An earthquake is happening!) and we rushed to get out."

"The residents on the ground floor of our house also ran outside in fear, but thankfully, the tremors were brief. No substantial damage was reported," he added.

Meanwhile, another resident Muhammad Ibrahim said: "I was sitting at a mechanic's workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad and suddenly we all felt the bench shaking. It was a minor jolt at first, but the second one was felt for a few seconds. We all rushed out of the building."

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 as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.

'Very shallow depth'

Speaking to Geo News, PMD's seismology expert Amir Hyder said, "These tremors are a continuation of the recent earthquake in Kashmir."

"This is an earthquake with a very shallow depth, which is why its epicentre was in the northwest of Rawalpindi, which is Kashmir and Muzaffarabad.

He further expressed confidence that such tremors wouldn't cause any significant damage.

When asked the reason for the frequent tremors in the region, Hyder said that it is a natural process due to the movement of tectonic plates, fortunately, there has been no incident such as the quake of 2008.

In its initial report, Punjab's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that the quake was also felt in Gujrat, Lahore, Faisalabad and other parts of the province.

Noting that no loss of life or property had been reported so far, the authority said that administration across the province was inspecting buildings — for any damage and relevant precautionary measures that need to be taken.

Machinery and personnel have been put on alert to deal with aftershocks, said the PDMA director general, with the authority's spokesperson adding that damage caused by the earthquake can be reported on helpline 1129.