An earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude was felt in Islamabad, parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab on Friday.
The jolts were felt in Swat, Upper Dir, Lahore, Peshawar, Nowshera, Malakand, Abbottabad, Sargodha, Rawlakot, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Lower Dir, Khyber Agency, Mardan, Skardu, Charsadda, Shangla, Bisham, Swabi, Islamabad,Rawalpindi and adjoining areas.
The earthquake hit at a depth of 227 kilometres near Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, sending people fleeing shaking buildings, prompting fears of aftershocks. No casualties have been reported as yet.
This is the third quake reported to hit the northern areas since 2016 began.
These areas are still reeling from a strong 7.5 magnitude quake which struck in Oct 2015, killing over 300 people in bothAfghanistan and Pakistan.
Shangla, Chitral, Swat and Dir were among the worst-hit places in the region.
Many houses in the quake-affected areas were reduced to rubble and survivors have had to spend winter sleeping in the open ? or in tents.
On Dec 25, 2015, over 30 people were injured as a 6.2 magnitude earthquake was felt in parts of Pakistan, Afghanistanand India.
Pakistan is located in the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone, which is roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin.
This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded about 851 seismic disturbances in 2015.
[…] source:pakistantoday […]
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