Moderate earthquake shakes parts of KP, Punjab and AJK

Mild earthquake tremors were experienced early Wednesday across several regions, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Punjab, and parts of Afghanistan.

As reported by the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tremors were felt in areas such as Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Chitral, Abbottabad, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, and Lower Dir.

Residents in Samahni and nearby regions of Azad Kashmir also reported feeling the quake.

In Punjab, tremors were reported in the Zafarwal region.

Meanwhile, a separate earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The EMSC stated the quake had a magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 121 kilometers. Its epicentre was located approximately 164 kilometers east of Baghlan, a city with an estimated population of 108,000. Initially, the EMSC had reported the magnitude as 6.4 before revising it.

No casualties or property damage have been reported so far.

This recent seismic activity comes just days after a moderate earthquake shook several areas across northern Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), that quake occurred on April 12 at 12:31 PM, with a magnitude of 5.5 and a depth of 12 kilometers. The epicentre was situated 60 kilometers northwest of Rawalpindi, at latitude 33.90 N and longitude 72.66 E.

Tremors were also felt in Punjab cities such as Attock and Chakwal. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, areas including Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Malakand, and Shabqadar experienced jolts as well.