A strong earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Friday morning including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Swat, and several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to seismologists, the earthquake measured 5.5 in magnitude with its epicentre in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region.
The Meteorological Department confirmed that the earthquake struck at a depth of 195 kilometres. The tremors were felt in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, as well as in northern and western regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier, a mild earthquake of 3.8 magnitude struck near Jaranwala late night, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed.
The tremor was recorded at 11:56 pm at a depth of 40 kilometres, with its epicentre located 16 kilometres south of Jaranwala. Residents reported rushing out of their homes as fear and panic spread through the area.
This was the second earthquake to hit Punjab in a week and the third recorded in September.
Prior to this, a stronger 4.8 magnitude quake was felt in several parts of the province, including Multan. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), its epicentre was 126 kilometres west of Multan at a depth of 55 kilometres.
Following that tremor, PDMA teams carried out building inspections across the province. The DG PDMA said that the Provincial Control Room and all District Emergency Operation Centres remain on round-the-clock alert.
The first earthquake of the month was reported on 4 September.
Read more: Second earthquake in Punjab this week, third in September
