- Epicenter located in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush.
- Tremors spread to Hangu, North Waziristan and Rawalpindi.
- No reports of injuries or damage.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, shaking Islamabad, Peshawar and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Saturday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) National Seismic Monitoring Center (NSMC).
The tremors were also felt in Swat, Hangu, North Waziristan and Chitral, while residents of Rawalpindi also experienced the tremors.
The seismological center said the earthquake measured 5.5 in magnitude and occurred at a depth of 199 kilometers.
It added that the epicenter was located in the Koh Hindu Kush region. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Pakistan’s susceptibility to earthquakes stems from its location along the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The country has experienced several devastating earthquakes in recent decades.
In a similar incident earlier this month, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Islamabad, parts of Punjab, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), with tremors also felt in cities including Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad and Skardu.
The PMD had said the earthquake occurred in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region at a depth of 190 km.
In February this year, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled Islamabad, Swat and Hunza, while the 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir killed over 73,000 people and left millions homeless.
Balochistan also suffered in 2021 when an earthquake in Harnai killed at least 20 people and hampered rescue efforts due to landslides.
Experts warn that the rugged terrain in Pakistan’s earthquake-prone areas complicates relief efforts and makes preparedness critical.
