On Thursday, an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude was felt in different parts of Pakistan, mainly in Islamabad, Swat, Malakand, Mansehra, Swabi, Mardan, Peshawar, Chitral and other cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Meanwhile, cities in Punjab such as Multan, Gujranwala, Chiniot, Rawalpindi and Sargodha also felt earthquake tremors
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that the seismic event occurred at 10:26:35 am Pakistan time, with a depth of 215 kilometers.
The tremors were felt widely across Pakistan, alarming the residents in different cities and prompting to flee out of their homes and workplaces in alarm. Despite having an epicenter in Afghanistan, the quake’s severity and considerable depth allowed its impacts to be felt over a wide area, including Pakistan’s largest cities.
There have been no current reports of fatalities or significant architectural damage. The government have requested the Public to maintain their composure and stated they are constantly monitoring the situation while conducting the required safety steps. The authority said they will provide updates in due course.
Disaster management and emergency services were told to stay alert and to respond immediately in case of emergency or related situations.
As the country is situated on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates hence, it is common knowledge that earthquakes are not unusual in Pakistan. Since the Eurasian plate from north is being pushed by a tectonic plate called the Indian plate, a significant part of South Asia is experiencing seismic activity.