5.5-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of KP

#5.5magnitude #earthquake #jolts #Islamabad #parts

ISLAMABAD/Peshawar: Several cities of Pakistan, including parts of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were treated by an earthquake on Saturday, causing panic and concern among the citizens.

According to the National Earthquake Monitoring Center (NSMC), the earthquake took place at 12:31 pm, with a magnitude 5.5 and 12 km deep. The center was 60 km northwest of Rawalpindi, 60 km northwest, with 33.90 N and Longs 72.66 E.

The city of Punjab, including Atak and Chakwal, also reported the earthquake in the region. In KP, Peshawar, Mardan, Mohammad, Sobi, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Shabqadar and other cities were felt.

However, immediate reports of casualties or damage were not received from the affected regions.

According to the Met Office, on March 31, a magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook Karachi and nearby areas.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the earthquake took place at 4pm and 11 minutes, the center of which is the center of 19 km north of Karachi, 75 km north of Karachi. A day later, on April 1, a minor earthquake that measured 3.9 was felt in the Barkhan district of Balochistan.

However, no damage or injuries were reported, but residents were terrified after the earthquake.

‘Hurry to get out’

The latest earthquake caused panic among the residents of the twin cities, many people evacuated their residences and offices. “In Sector F -11, my building got left and right,” said a resident of Islamabad. People got out of their homes. “

Journalist Waqar Bhatti, who is also a resident of the federal capital, recalled his experience and said: “I was standing at the balcony of my first floor house in the B17 sector of Islamabad when I suddenly felt a strong shock. Out “

He added, “Residents on the ground floor of our house also ran out of fear, but thankfully the earthquake was short. No damage was reported.”

Meanwhile, another resident Mohammad Ibrahim said: “I was sitting in a mechanic’s workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad and suddenly we all felt shaking bench. It was a minor shock at first, but the second was felt for a few seconds. We all got out of the building.”

Earthquakes in Pakistan are not uncommon, as the country is located on the boundaries of Indian and Eurasian Tactical Plates. Large parts of South Asia are active in the earthquake as the Indian plate is taking the north to the Eurasian plate.

‘Recent Kashmir Earthquake

Talking to Geo News, PMD earthquake expert Aamir Hyder said, “These earthquakes are a continuation of the recent earthquake in Kashmir.”

“This is a very high depth earthquake, which is why its center was northwest of Rawalpindi, which is Kashmir and Muzaffarabad.

He expressed further confidence that such earthquakes would not cause any significant damage.

When asked about repeated shocks in the region, the Hyder said that it was a natural process due to the movement of tectonic plates, fortunately, no such incident like the 2008 earthquake.

In its preliminary report, Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has said that the earthquake was also felt in Gujarat, Lahore, Faisalabad and other parts of the province.

Note that no loss of life or property has been reported so far, the authority said that the administration is inspecting buildings across the province – for any damage and related precautions that need to be taken.

The Director General of PDMA said that the authority spokesman said that the earthquake damage could be reported at the helpline 1129.