Islamabad: People in northern Pakistan were jolted by a strong earthquake of 6.4 magnitude on Friday night. The powerful tremor shook several parts of the country including Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Mardan, Waziristan, Swat and Chitral.
The earthquake that occurred at 10:02 pm Pakistan time was also felt as far away as north India, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 with a depth of 80 kilometres and said the epicentre was in Tajikistan. The United States Geological Survey recorded the magnitude at 5.9 and its epicentre at 35 km west of Murghab in Tajikistan.
One killed
The quake that lasted for at least 30 seconds sent panicked people rushing into the streets at night and many praying out loud.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported no reports of casualties or damage. However, the local authorities and media reports claimed that at least one woman in Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was killed after she fell down while running outside in panic during the earthquake.
Sharing videos and posts on social media, Pakistani people said the earthquake was “very strong” and sent prayers for everyone. Some people also shared photos of minor cracks in their homes after the tremors.
