A 5.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab on Tuesday morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed.
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The tremors, recorded at 10:20am (PKT), originated from the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan at a depth of 190 kilometres. According to PMD, the quake was strongly felt in Peshawar, Swat, Chitral, and Abbottabad, while Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority reported jolts across Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Multan, Sahiwal, and Sargodha.
Rescue 1122 officials confirmed that no casualties or major damages have been reported, and an emergency has not been declared.
Pakistan sits at the intersection of the Arabian, Eurasian, and Indian tectonic plates, placing the country in one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The Hindu Kush, where Tuesday’s quake originated, is among the most earthquake-prone zones globally, with deep-focus quakes often reaching depths of more than 200km.
Earlier this month, a 5.1-magnitude quake shook Islamabad and adjoining areas, triggering panic but causing no damage.
Seismologists warn that while frequent moderate quakes in the Hindu Kush region often release tectonic stress, the risk of stronger, more destructive earthquakes across northern Pakistan and Afghanistan remains a constant threat, underscoring the need for better preparedness and resilient infrastructure.
