Earthquake tremors of 5.4 intensity jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on late Sunday night. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), the epicenter of the earthquake was Afghanistan. The depth of the earthquake was 32 km and its magnitude on the Richter scale was 5.4. The tremors were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, Swabi, Mohmand, Bajour, Buner and their adjacent areas. People came out of their homes in panic and started reciting verses from the Holy Quran. No loss of life and property was reported from any part of the country due to earthquake. According to US Geological Survey data, the epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Koh Hindukush mountainous region in Afghanistan at the depth of 10 kilometres. No loss of life has been reported after the earthquake. It is to be mentioned here that the tremors relatively closer to the surface are likely to bear long- term adverse effects on the buildings.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP