A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, jolting Islamabad, Peshawar and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Saturday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC).
The tremors were also felt in Swat, Hangu, North Waziristan and Chitral, while residents Rawalpindi experienced the shaking as well.
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The seismological centre said the earthquake measured 5.5 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 199 kilometres.
It added that the epicentre was located in the Koh Hindu Kush region. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Pakistan’s susceptibility to earthquakes stems from its location along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The country has experienced multiple devastating quakes in recent decades.
In a similar incident earlier this month, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad, parts of Punjab, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), with tremors also felt in cities including Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad and Skardu.
The PMD had said that the quake originated in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region at a depth of 190km.
In February this year, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Islamabad, Swat, and Hunza, while the 2005 quake in Azad Kashmir killed over 73,000 people and left millions homeless.
Balochistan also suffered in 2021, when a quake in Harnai killed at least 20 people and hampered rescue operations due to landslides.
Experts warn that the rugged terrain of Pakistan’s earthquake-prone areas complicates relief efforts and makes preparedness critical.
