mm-news-@dmin Aftershocks shake Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chitral, and Peshawar; quake claims at least 9 lives in Afghanistan.
- Shocks recorded 15km deep in the Hindu Kush mountains.
- Tremors also reported from Chakwal, Taxila, Wah Cantt, Lahore.
- No casualties, major damage reported; officials warn of aftershocks.
ISLAMABAD: A powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake rattled Islamabad and neighboring cities, including parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and residents reported feeling tremors as far away as Lahore, which panicked citizens into rushing out of their homes.
The National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that the quake struck at around 12:18am, with its epicenter in southeastern Afghanistan.
Seismologists recorded the shocks 15 kilometer’s below the surface in the Hindu Kush mountains.
Residents in Peshawar, Mardan, Murree, and adjoining areas also felt strong jolts, which caused them to rush out of homes and offices in panic. Similar reports also poured in from Chakwal, Taxila, Wah Cantt, and Lahore.
Officials said the quake caused no major damage or casualties.
The NSMC reported aftershocks later in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chitral, and Peshawar.
People in Hangu, Malakand, Swat, Mansehra and Abbottabad also experienced the seismic activity. The NSMC confirmed that a 4.6-magnitude aftershock struck at 12:38am.
Authorities added that monitoring was ongoing and citizens should remain cautious in case of aftershocks. There have been no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.
Rescue teams and local authorities are assessing the situation. Authorities advised residents to remain cautious and avoid staying in unsafe buildings.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan reported casualties from the same magnitude —6.0 — earthquake that rattled Pakistan. The tremor, recorded late Sunday. Struck southeastern Afghanistan at 11:47 pm local time (12:18 am PST), according to the US Geological Survey.
Ajmal Darwaish, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial health department, said at least nine people were killed and 25 injured.
The epicentre was located 27 kilometres east-northeast of Jalalabad at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres (six miles), USGS said.
Officials said in a statement that at least 15 other people were injured.
The quake shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, around 370 kilometres away for several seconds, AFP journalists said.
Earthquakes frequently hit Afghanistan. Especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
On August 3, strong tremors shook Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and multiple other areas shortly after midnight. As a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck at 12:10am, the second to hit the region in two days.
The PMD’s seismic centre stated that the earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located 15 kilometres southeast of Rawat.
Residents in Attock, Swabi, and Zafarwal, as well as in northern areas including Swat, Shangla, Buner, Malakand, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan, and Murree, also reported shocks.
Tremors were also felt in Jhelum and several towns across Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
