5.3 magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad: A 5.3-magnitude moderate earthquake on Wednesday jolted parts of Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad, according to the country's meteorological department.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1, while the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported it as having a 5.3 magnitude.

“The centre of the earthquake was the Hindukush mountain range in Afghanistan and the depth was 220 kilometres,” according to the National Seismic Monitoring Center in Islamabad.

The earthquake struck at 10:13 am (Pakistan time), both the USGS and PMD confirmed.

Following the tremors, people came out of their houses in fear. However, no casualties have been reported so far.

Officials said the tremor was felt in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and various areas of Punjab.

Quakes are common in Pakistan and the worst one in 2005 killed more than 74,000 people.