LAHORE: Citizens were panicked after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake rocked several cities of the central Punjab on Thursday.

According to the seismological centre, the 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 4:38pm while its epicentre was 30 km southwest of Sargodha.

The residents were panicked as strong tremors were felt in major cities including Lahore, Chichawatni, Chunnia, Burewala, Kamoke, Hafizabad, Pindi Bhattian, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Mianwali and Sargodha. The intensity of the earthquake was strong enough to cause people to rush out of their homes.

However, no damages have been reported so far.

Two days ago, a strong earthquake jolted parts of South Asian countries including Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan late on Tuesday, leaving 10 dead in Pakistan and over 150 injured.

The casualties and injuries were reported mostly in northwest Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the epicentre of the quake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2023