5.9-magnitude earthquake jolts parts of country: PMD

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of KP on Friday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

The earthquake struck at 6:09pm at a depth of 101 kilometres, with its epicentre located in the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, the department said.

According to mediaNewsTV, tremors were felt in Shangla, Swat, Mardan, Swabi and Nowshera.

In Shangla, tremors were felt at the time of Iftar, prompting people to rush out of their homes. No casualties or damages were reported from the district.

Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region.

Earlier this week, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake was recorded 86km northeast of Balochistan’s Khuzdar.

Last month, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 jolted parts of Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar and adjacent areas of KP.

The same month, another 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of the country. Tremors were felt in Islamabad and parts of KP.

Additional input from Umar Bacha.