PESHAWAR: Tremors have been felt in Peshawar and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Thursday afternoon.

The epicentre of the earthquake was the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, with a focal depth of 213kms.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured tremors of 5.1 magnitude.

Location was 45km NNW of Alaqahdari-ye Kiran wa Munjan (36.19N, 70.84E) in Afghanistan.

Shocks were felt in the provincial capital Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and other areas at 16:35 local time.

In 2015, a 7.2 earthquake jolted major cities of Pakistan, including the northern areas, leaving nearly 300 dead and around 3,000 injured due to building collapses, landslides, stampedes and other quake related incidents.

Pakistan is located in the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone, which is roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin. This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults.

Active faults and resultant earthquakes in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are the result of convergence between the S. Asian and Eurasia plates.