5.1-magnitude earthquake hits Lahore, other parts of Punjab

LAHORE: Residents of Lahore along with people in other Punjab cities experienced a 5.1-magnitude earthquake on Thursday.

The tremors — which prompted residents to rush out of their homes and buildings in panic — were also felt in Jhelum, Kamalia, Khanewal, as well as Chichawatni, Bhalwal, Chiniot and Hafizabad.

The epicentre of the quake was measured at a depth of 15 kilometres, near Kharian.

As per the initial report of PDMA Punjab, no loss of life or property from the earthquake, with the administration actively inspecting buildings, said the provincial disaster management authority's (PDMA) director general.

Last month, an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) which sparked panic among residents.

The earthquake's epicentre, as per the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, was the border region of Afghanistan and Tajikistan at a depth of 212 kilometres.

It was the second earthquake in a month in KP as a 5.3-magnitude quake shook several areas of the province two weeks before that.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in Pakistan, as the country is situated on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.