A powerful magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolted several cities across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Swat, and Chitral, on Friday evening, causing panic among residents as tremors were felt for several seconds. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the earthquake struck at around 5:15 pm, with its epicentre located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 120 kilometres.
The tremors were strong enough to be felt across wide areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab, prompting people to rush out of their homes, offices, and markets in fear of aftershocks. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic as alarms went off in high-rise buildings, while emergency response units remained on alert across the affected regions.
Authorities, however, confirmed that no casualties or property damage have been reported so far. The PMD has stated that monitoring teams are continuing to assess the situation, urging citizens to remain calm and to follow standard safety precautions during potential aftershocks.
Magnitude 5.6 earthquake shakes Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, and northern Pakistan cities, marking the second seismic episode this month. Earlier on October 1, a smaller tremor measuring 3.2 magnitude was recorded in Karachi, with its epicentre located 7 kilometres northwest of Malir at a depth of 10 kilometres. The minor quake at that time also caused panic among citizens, already anxious about changing weather conditions and cyclone warnings.
Seismologists have noted that the Hindu Kush region, where today’s earthquake originated, remains one of the most seismically active zones in South and Central Asia, regularly producing deep-focus earthquakes that are felt widely across Pakistan and neighbouring countries.
