5.7-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, KP regions
- Tremors felt in Swat, Nowshera, Shangla, and Buner.
- Quake originates at depth of 170 kilometres.
- No immediate reports of casualties or damage.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck Islamabad, Peshawar and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the Seismic Monitoring Centre said.
According to initial reports, tremors were felt in the federal and KP provincial capitals, while shaking was also experienced in Swat, Nowshera, Shangla, and Buner.
The Seismic Monitoring Centre said the epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region.
It added that the quake originated at a depth of 170 kilometres.
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.
The latest tremors to hit the country were in Karachi, and before that in Islamabad and parts of KP, earlier this month.
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.
