5.6-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Pakistan

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The Pakistan Meteorological Department said Islamabad and the northern parts of the country were hit by an earthquake Friday night.

The department said the earthquake measured 5.6 on the Richter scale, adding that it originated in the border region between Afghanistan and Tajikistan at a depth of 100 kilometers at about 9:13 pm.

The quake was felt in the federal capital and adjacent areas, as well as in Mansehra, Hazara, Balakot, Batgram, Torgar, Haripur, Abbottabad, Swat, Malakand and Shangla districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dawn News reported.

There were no reports of injuries or damage so far.

Earlier on Tuesday, an earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale hit coastal parts of Balochistan.

According to the National Seismological Center (NSMC), the average earthquake was centered 50 kilometers south of Gwadar at a depth of 25 kilometers in the Makran subduction zone.

“It is the first time in decades that an earthquake of this magnitude has been reported in the Makran subduction zone and was felt from Gwadar to Amara,” NSMC Director Amir Haider told Dawn.

He said that while an earthquake of this magnitude could not produce a tsunami, there was a need for preparedness because the area had the potential to generate a tsunami at any time.

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