ISLAMABAD: A 5.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat and several other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, the Seismic Network of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed.
The tremors originated in southeast Afghanistan at a depth of 22 kilometres. The quake comes just two days after a stronger 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late Sunday night, causing widespread devastation in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
Despite the intensity of Tuesday’s tremors, no immediate reports of damage or casualties have surfaced in Pakistan.
The tremors follows Sunday’s powerful earthquake in Afghanistan that has left over 1,400 people dead and more than 3,100 injured in Kunar province alone, according to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Another dozen lives were lost in Nangarhar province, where hundreds were also injured. Over 5,400 homes have been destroyed, with many mountainous areas still cut off from road access.
The United Nations has warned that the disaster could impact hundreds of thousands of people, while rescue operations continue amid a dire humanitarian crisis. The European Union has pledged 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and €1 million in aid to assist victims.
Earlier on Sunday, the PMD’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) confirmed the quake was also felt in Islamabad and neighbouring cities as far as Lahore, struck at around 12:18am at a depth of 15 kilometres in the Hindu Kush mountains. Strong shocks were also reported in Peshawar, Mardan, Murree, Chakwal, Taxila, Wah Cantt and adjoining areas, prompting residents to rush outdoors in panic.
Aftershocks were recorded later in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chitral and Peshawar. A 4.6-magnitude tremor struck again at 12:38am, keeping residents on edge. Authorities have urged citizens to remain cautious and avoid unsafe structures as monitoring continues.
Earlier, on August 3, twin quakes measuring 5.1 magnitude had also jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and multiple northern districts, marking the second seismic activity in as many days.
Rescue teams and local authorities continue to assess the situation, though officials reiterated that no major damage has so far been reported in Pakistan.
