Earthquake rattles parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad

PESHAWAR: Earthquake tremors struck the northern parts of the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Islamabad on Wednesday morning. However no loss of life was reported.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude of the quake was recorded 5.1 on the Richter scale.

According to reports, the tremors were felt between 8.15am and 8.30am. People felt the jolts for about 20 seconds.

A spokesman of Pakistan Meteorological Department said that the epicenter was near Bannu in KP. Its depth was recorded at 10 kilometers.

Earlier in April, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck many towns of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The epicenter of the quake was at the depth of 200 kilometres in Hindu Kush mountain area of Afghanistan.

Tremors were felt in Chitral, Battkhela, Bunir, Swat, Shangla, Malakand, Dir and Swabi districts among other areas of the province. No loss of life or property was reported in the earthquake.

In January this year, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake had struck Hindukush region of Afghanistan, triggering tremors in most parts of Pakistan.

A two-year-old girl had lost her life while three were injured in the wake of powerful quake that struck the region. The casualty had occurred in Balochistan’s Lasbela district where the roof of a decrepit house collapsed after the quake. The quake rattled the country at 12.06 pm (Pakistan time).

The quake struck 270 km (167 miles) northeast of Kabul in the Hindu Kush mountains, at a deep 180 km, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. While the epicentre of the quake was located 35 kilometres south of Jarm, on Afghanistan-Tajikistan Border Region, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The past horror

On October 26, 2015 a 7.5 magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing more than 390 people in total. In Pakistan, at least 276 people had perished in the calamity.

Pakistan had confirmed death toll at 272, with 2,227 people injured and nearly 25,000 homes damaged, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.