Earthquake hits Islamabad, Azad Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: A magnitude 5.8 earthquake jolted Islamabad and its suburbs on Monday, according to the seismological centre.

The depth of the earthquake was 140 kilometres, while its epicentre was the Doda district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The tremors that spread panic among the residents were felt at 3.19pm.

Meanwhile, the tremors were also felt in other parts of the country including Samahni and Bhimbhar of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Peshawar. No immediate casualties or damages have been reported in the aftermath of the quake. Zainab Tariq, a 27-year-old student in Islamabad told Geo.tv that she felt the tremors, but they weren’t that strong. “I was sitting in my room when the building suddenly started shaking. I ran downstairs but couldn’t see anyone else outside, so I thought it was not felt by many people”. Natural disasters such as 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. Recent earthquakes underscore the importance of disaster preparedness and mitigation measures.