ISLAMABAD: An earthquake measuring 5.2 magnitude was felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), including Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, on Thursday, causing panic among residents.
According to the National Seismic Monitoring Center in Islamabad, the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 212 km in the border area between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Earthquake tremors were felt in Peshawar, North Waziristan, Lower Dir, Malakand, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Neelum Valley and its suburbs. Citizens came out of their houses and offices in panic. However, no loss of life or property has been reported in any area so far. This was the second earthquake in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a month as two weeks ago a magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook several areas of the province, including
Peshawar, Mohmand, Shabqadar, Attock, Swat, Shangla, Buner, and Abbottabad. Meanwhile, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook the federal capital and parts of Punjab and KP in September. Earthquakes are not uncommon in Pakistan, as the country is located on the border of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Large parts of South Asia are seismically active as a tectonic plate known as the Indian Plate is thrusting northward into the Eurasian Plate.