No casualties reported as 5.3-magnitude quake hits KP

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck various cities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to a statement by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

The PMD said the quake struck at a depth of 230 kilometres, with its epicentre located in the Hindukush region.

“No casualties or damages have been reported,” KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesperson Anwar Shahzad told Dawn.com.

Parts of KP — Mardan, Swat, Swabi and Abbottabad, and their surrounding areas — felt the tremors of that quake, he added.

Last month, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Swat and adjoining areas with a depth of 185 kilometres and epicentre in Hindukush.

On April 12, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck near Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while tremors were also felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from another earlier quake.

Pakistan witnessed around 20 low-intensity earthquakes in the first half of February — an average of more than one tremor each day.

However, experts had pointed out that such minor seismic activities “preempt” high-intensity earthquakes by constantly releasing accumulated energy within the tectonic plates.

Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — according to geological engineer Muhammad Rehan, creating five seismic zones within the country.