A magnitude 6 earthquake rattled various parts of the country, including Islamabad, Peshawar, and Lahore, among others. The tremors were felt in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that the earthquake’s epicenter was in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, with a depth of 213km.
Several cities in Punjab, including Sargodha, Khushab, Mandi Bahauddin, Bhakkar, and Nowshera, experienced the impact of the earthquake. The tremors were also felt in AJK’s Muzaffarabad and Neelum valley, as well as KP cities like Peshawar, Kohat, Shabqadar, Abbottabad, Lower Dir, Mianwali, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan, Deerbala, Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu, Diamir, Parachinar, and Bannu.
Saeed Ur Rehman, 40, recounted his experience during the earthquake, stating, “I was sitting in the office when the quake hit… We had to rush out of the building,” in Lahore.
Given that Pakistan is situated on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, natural disasters such as earthquakes are not uncommon. The seismic activity in South Asia is attributed to the Indian plate pushing north into the Eurasian plate. Recent earthquake occurrences emphasize the importance of disaster preparedness and mitigation measures.
