ISLAMABAD - A moderate earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, on Saturday night jolted several parts of the country, said Pakistan Meteorological Department.
The epicenter, with a depth of 11.5.9 km, was located in Hindukush region, a range of mountains lying in northern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan.
The quake caused panic among residents in the affected areas, but no casualties and damages were reported.
The tremors of the earthquake were felt in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Abbotabad, Haripur, Abbotabad, Mansehra, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Parachinar, Mirpur, Battagram, Nowshera, Shangla, Kohistan, Malakand, Mardan, Sargodha, Charsadda, lower Dir and Khyber agency of the tribal belt.
The quake was recorded at 10:51pm and its epicenter was in Koh Hindukush, according to meteorologist Muzammil Hussain. “The epicentre with a depth of 116km was monitored at 35.69 degrees north latitude and 70.54 degrees east longitude,” said spokesman for Pakistan Meteorological Department.
A powerful 7.3-magnitude undersea quake off the northeast coast earlier this month triggered a one-metre-high tsunami but there were no reports of fatalities.