A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on Wednesday night, sending tremors rippling across Islamabad, parts of Punjab, and several districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with no immediate reports of casualties or structural damage.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the quake struck at 10:57pm Pakistan Standard Time at a depth of 174 kilometres, with its epicentre located in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan. The considerable depth of the tremor is widely understood to have reduced its destructive potential at the surface.
Tremors were felt across multiple cities in K-P, including Peshawar, Mardan, and Buner, as well as in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and their adjoining areas. Residents in several localities reported shaking that lasted a few seconds, prompting many to step outside as a precaution, though no emergencies were declared.
The latest earthquake adds to a series of seismic events that have unsettled parts of Pakistan in recent days. Just days earlier, a 5.9-magnitude quake sent tremors across Lahore and several cities in Punjab, as well as parts of K-P, affecting districts including Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, Multan, and the broader Potohar region, according to the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). On the same day, a separate 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Balochistan’s Barkhan district, injuring three people.
Pakistan lies along a seismically active belt and regularly experiences earthquakes, particularly in its northern and western regions, which are closest to the Hindu Kush and other fault lines shared with Afghanistan.
