5.7-magnitude earthquake shakes Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

ISLAMABAD: A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad, Peshawar and several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, according to the Seismic Monitoring Centre.

Initial reports said tremors were felt in the federal capital and the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shaking was also reported in Swat, Nowshera, Shangla and Buner.

The Seismic Monitoring Centre said the earthquake’s epicentre was in the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region. The quake occurred at a depth of 170 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage following the tremor.

Recent seismic activity

Pakistan frequently experiences earthquakes because of its location along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The country has seen a number of destructive earthquakes over the past several decades.

The latest tremors before Monday’s quake were reported in Karachi, while earlier this month shaking was also felt in Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In February this year, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Islamabad, Swat and Hunza.

Past major earthquakes

Among the deadliest earthquakes in the country’s recent history was the 2005 Azad Kashmir disaster, which killed more than 73,000 people and left millions homeless.

Balochistan was also hit in 2021, when an earthquake in Harnai killed at least 20 people. The disaster also disrupted rescue operations because of landslides in the area.

Experts have warned that the difficult terrain in Pakistan’s earthquake-prone regions can complicate relief work, making preparedness an important concern.