A moderate earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and several other cities in Pakistan on Tuesday, causing panic among residents who hastily evacuated their homes and offices.
The tremors were felt across various regions, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In Punjab, areas such as Shakar Garh, Chichawatni, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Hafizabad, Zafarwal, and Murree experienced the quake. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the affected areas included Abbottabad, Swabi, and Swat. Meanwhile, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, tremors were reported in Bagh, DhirKot, and Muzaffarabad.
Sarah Batool Haider, an Islamabad-based journalist, described the experience as horrifying, as this was the second earthquake to hit the capital within a short period of time. According to Haider, the tremors were brief but led to a swift evacuation of office buildings.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that the earthquake occurred at 1:04 pm local time, originating at a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was located in Eastern Kashmir, with coordinates at longitude 75.97 E and latitude 33.32 N.
Fortunately, no casualties or loss of life have been reported thus far as a result of the earthquake. However, the impact of the quake extended beyond Pakistan’s borders, as tremors were felt in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK) and other parts of India, including New Delhi.
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)
