Earthquake centred in Afghanistan shakes Islamabad, Punjab and KP

ISLAMABAD: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake was felt in Islamabad and parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa late on Wednesday, with tremors reported in several urban centres across the north of the country.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the quake struck at 10:57pm Pakistan Standard Time. The department said it measured 5.3 in magnitude, occurred at a depth of 174 kilometres and had its epicentre in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region.

Tremors were reported in Peshawar, Mardan and Buner in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The shaking was also felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and nearby areas. No immediate reports of casualties or damage were available.

The latest tremor follows another earthquake in recent days that measured 5.9 and was felt in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, Multan, the Potohar region, Faisalabad and other districts of Punjab, according to the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority. On the same day, a separate 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit Barkhan district in Balochistan and surrounding areas, injuring three people. The National Seismic Monitoring Centre said that quake occurred at a depth of 19 kilometres and its epicentre was 58 kilometres northeast of Barkhan, with tremors also felt in Kohlu, Rakhni and Musa Khel.