ISLAMABAD: A 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar on Tuesday morning, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
The quake struck at around 10:20 am, with its epicentre in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region at a depth of 190 kilometres. Tremors were also felt in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Charsadda, Karak and nearby areas. People rushed out of their homes and offices in fear, but no loss of life or property has been reported so far.
Today’s tremors follow a 5.5-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan in the first week of August, shaking homes in several cities and towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. That quake also originated in the Hindu Kush region at a depth of 114 kilometres.
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In recent months, the region has experienced a series of tremors. On June 11, a 4.7-magnitude quake hit Peshawar, while in May, a stronger 5.3 quake shook Islamabad and several KP districts including Mardan, Swat, Nowshera, Swabi and North Waziristan.
Two more tremors were recorded in April — a 5.5-magnitude quake on April 12 and a 5.3 quake on April 16 — affecting parts of KP, Punjab, Azad Kashmir and the federal capital.
Pakistan lies on a major fault line between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, making the northern areas especially prone to earthquakes. Experts also note unusual seismic activity in Karachi this year, where over 30 mild tremors were reported within a few days due to movement along the long-dormant Landhi Fault Line.
