- Epicentre near Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.
- PMD confirms magnitude 5.9 quake at 11:47am.
- Tremors felt in 20+ cities across multiple provinces.
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Pakistan on Saturday morning, causing panic across major cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
The tremors, the second in a week, recorded at 11:47am, prompted residents to flee their homes and workplaces in fear.
According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the epicentre was located near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region, with a depth of 94 kilometres at latitude 36.21 N and longitude 71.34 E.
Strong tremors were felt in Lower Dir, Malakand, Bajaur, Nowshera, Dir Bala, Shabqadar, Mohmand, Chitral, Swat, Swabi, Gilgit and Mardan. Additional shocks were also reported in Punjab’s Chiniot, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Bhalwal, and Mansehra, as well as the Neelum Valley’s Athmuqam area in Azad Kashmir.
“It was brief but a powerful one. I felt the entire bed shake and had to quickly run out of our house with my family. Thankfully, it was brief and quickly over,” said Shahjahan Khurram, a 33-year-old resident of Bahria Enclave, Islamabad.
“We felt a single jolt, which was intense but brief. As soon as the tremor was felt, people rushed out of the office in panic,” Ayesha Rehman, whose office is in Blue Area, told Geo.tv.
Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
