Powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Pakistan

Dunya News

Powerful earthquake jolts parts of Pakistan

LAHORE (Dunya News) – A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Pakistan including the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and Lahore on Friday.

The National Seismic Monitoring Centre said the epicentre of the earthquake was in Tajikistan while the depth was merely 80km.

Tremors were felt in Lahore, Shahdara, Raiwind, Bhalwal, Multan, Faisalabad and Attock in Punjab. Peshawar, Lower Dir and adjoining areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir were also affected .

Jolts were also reported from neighboring countries of India and Afghanistan.

People came out of their homes in panic and started reciting verses from the Holy Quran. No loss of life and property was initially reported from the earthquake, however, two people were reportedly injured in Bagh.

Pakistan straddles part of the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.

In October 2015, a 7.5-magnitude quake in Pakistan and Afghanistan killed almost 400 people in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.

The country was also hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake on October 8, 2005, that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.