A magnitude 6.5 earthquake with its epicenter in Afghanistan struck late on Tuesday, leaving at least nine people dead and 44 injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a government official.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake had a depth of 187 kilometers and was centered close to ‘Jurm town’ in northeastern Afghanistan.
The USGS estimated the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.5, although the Pakistan Meteorological Agency gave it a magnitude of 6.8.
According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government senior official Abdul Basit, at least 19 houses were partially damaged by the earthquake on Wednesday.
The northern regions of the country, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Haripur, Mardan, Chitral, Charsadda, and others, felt the brunt of the earthquake.
Punjab was also affected by the earthquake, but no immediate reports of casualties were made. Lahore, Sargodha, Multan, Faisalabad, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Okara, and other cities also experienced earthquakes.
Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), a hilly area, was also shaken by the earthquake, and the ensuing landslides sparked alarm. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
A spokesperson for Punjab Emergency Services announced that search and sweep operations were being conducted across the province by Rescue 1122 personnel.
He said that the provincial monitoring cell was handling the matter and that they had not received any calls about the earthquake’s effects.
The earthquake that occurred on Tuesday was one of the intermediate ones, which has a depth of between 70km and 300km. The quakes that cause the most extensive damage are the shallow ones, which occur at depths of less than 70 km.
A tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing against the Eurasian plate from the north, which is causing seismic activity across significant portions of South Asia.
