ISLAMABAD: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and several cities of the country and neighbouring Afghanistan on Wednesday, prompting authorities to place emergency response teams on alert.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the earthquake struck at 10:57 pm Pakistan Standard Time. It measured 5.3 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 174 kilometres. The department said the epicentre was located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.
The tremors were felt in Islamabad and across several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Kurram, Mardan, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Swabi and Buner.
Residents also reported feeling the earthquake in Swat, Shangla, Charsadda and Lower Dir. Tremors were also experienced in parts of Punjab.
The tremors were also felt in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to the Seismological Centre, the earthquake measured 5.3 on the Richter scale and struck at a depth of 174 kilometres.
The centre said the epicentre was located in the Hindu Kush region of neighbouring Afghanistan, a seismically active area that frequently generates earthquakes felt across Pakistan and the wider region.
A spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said emergency response teams had been placed on alert to respond to any untoward situation.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to property, officials said.
Recent seismic activity
The latest earthquake comes less than a week after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of Pakistan on June 27.
The earlier quake was felt across major cities in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore.
Strong tremors were also reported in Swat, Kohat, Lower Dir, Shangla, Besham, Chitral, Bajaur, Mardan, North and South Waziristan, and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Punjab, residents felt the earthquake in Chakwal, Sheikhupura, Dipalpur, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Murree, Chiniot, Jalalpur Bhattian and Farooqabad, among other areas.
