Daily Times

Islamabad and other parts of the country experienced tremors in the wee hours of Monday as an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 struck the Hindukush region, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Koh Hindukush mountainous region in Afghanistan at the depth of 10 kilometres.

Tremors were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, Swabi, Mohmand, Bajour, Buner and adjacent areas after which people came out of their homes in panic and started reciting verses from the Holy Quran, media reports said.

No loss of life or property was reported from any part of the country.

Last week, a “moderate” earthquake of 4.7 magnitude jolted the Kalat area of Balochistan. No casualties or damages were reported in the quake.

The quakes come at a time when Pakistan is reeling from floods caused by torrential monsoon rains. Catastrophic floods have left a third of the country submerged as thousands of roads, houses, electric towers and bridges have been completely damaged.