5.4 magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Pakistan

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake was felt in parts of Pakistan, mostly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Thursday.

The quake had a magnitude of 5.4 and occurred at 5:56am UTC (10:56am Pakistan time), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said.

The earthquake’s epicentre was located in the Hindu Kush Region in Afghanistan and it had a depth of 215 kilometres, the PMD website stated.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) stated the quake’s epicentre was 28km west-southwest of Afghanistan’s Ishkashim town.

According to Dawn News, the tremors were felt across various cities of KP, including Mardan, Malakand, Hangu, Buner, Shangla, Dir and Charsadda.

Jolts were also felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore, Dawn News reported.

No loss of life has been reported as of yet.

In KP’s Shangla district, Rescue 1122 staff was put on high alert after the tremors were felt.

“No emergency call has been received by the Rescue 1122 control room so far,” the service in Shangla said in a statement.

In Punjab, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said the quake was felt in several cities, including Lahore, Multan, Islamabad, Gujranwala and Sargodha.

Quoting initial reports, the PDMA statement said the authority had not yet received any reports of loss of life or property.

“The entire Punjab administration is busy checking buildings. The staff and machinery have been put on alert to deal with the earthquake’s aftershocks,” the statement quoted the PDMA director-general as saying.