ISLAMABAD: A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit several cities in the north — including Islamabad — on Saturday morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said.
The quake struck at 9:16 am and at a depth of around 209 kilometres (130 miles) with its epicentre in the eastern Ishkashim district of Afghanistan, the US Geological Survey said.
Prelim M5.7 Earthquake Afghanistan-Tajikistan-Pakistan region Feb-05 04:16 UTC, updates https://t.co/O2CyQm66lw
— USGS Tweet Earthquake Dispatch (@USGSted) February 5, 2022
Tremors were also felt in Rawalpindi, Taxila, Sargodha, Chiniot and Hafizabad, reports said.
Peshawar, Charsadda, Swat, Mardan and other cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also experienced tremors which were also felt in various districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
There were, however, reports of some damage to the accommodations in slum housing.
In AJK, the people of Rawalakot and Neelum Valley rushed out of their homes after the earthquake shook the mountainous cities.
Tremors were also felt in parts of the Indian capital of New Delhi, the Times of India reported.
This is the third quake to hit Pakistan in less than a month. On January 14, an earthquake measuring 5.6 jolted Islamabad and northern towns.
On New Year Eve, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck several northern cities.
In October, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit the Harnai district of Balochistan in the early hours, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 200.
A woman and six children were among 20 dead, Suhail Anwar Hashmi, a senior provincial government official, told AFP.
