Islamabad -UNS: 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad, parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday, with tremors felt in several cities, including Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad and Skardu.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) said that the earthquake was recorded at 9:13pm PST, with a depth of 190 kilometres. The epicentre was located in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region at latitude 36.48°N and longitude 70.84°E.
Residents across Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Taxila, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Multan felt strong tremors, though no significant damage or casualties have been reported.
In Punjab, the quake was felt in Sargodha, Chakwal, Chiniot, Jhelum, Mianwali, Narowal, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Mandi Bahauddin, and Kamalia.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa residents in Peshawar, Nowshera, Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Kohat, Malakand, Mardan, Hangu, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Upper Hazara, Buner, Banno, Bajaur, Tank, and Charsadda reported tremors.
Gilgit Baltistan also felt the quake in Gilgit, Skardu, and Diamer, while in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the tremors were reported in Muzaffarabad, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Samahni, and Hattian Bala —including Channari, Chikothi, Gujjar Bandi, and Lipa.
Strong tremors were also felt in Afghanistan’s Kabul and India’s capital New Delhi, according to Reuters witnesses.
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.
