5.3-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, KP, AJK

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and their adjoining areas on Tuesday night, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said.

The PMD's National Seismic Monitoring Centre said that the quake's epicentre was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region and its depth was 234 kilometres.

Tremors were felt in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, KP capital Peshawar, Upper Dir, Malakand, Bajaur, Chitral, Swat, Murree, AJK's Samahni, Bhimber, and other parts.

However, there are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake was recorded four days after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck KP, Islamabad and their suburban parts.

Earthquakes have frequently rattled the region, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, in recent years. Record shows seismic activity in neighbouring countries lying at the intersection of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

In September, Afghanistan witnessed a massive magnitude 6 earthquake in the rugged eastern region of the country, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring several thousand others.

Several parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan, Chitral, Murree and adjoining areas also felt the tremors in the following days with reports of effects being felt as far away as Lahore.

Karachi, back in June, experienced multiple tremors, with the tally going up to at least 57 in one month.

Chief Meteorologist Aamir Haider explained that these tremors had occurred due to the reactivation of the Landhi Fault Line after several decades, adding that the fault was going through a normalisation phase.