5.6-magnitude quake jostles KP, twin cities and other regions: PMD

Published October 17, 2025
Image showing a drum recorder, which draws a seismogram on a piece of paper wrapped around it. — Generated via ChatGPT
Image showing a drum recorder, which draws a seismogram on a piece of paper wrapped around it. — Generated via ChatGPT

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other northern areas were jolted by tremors on Friday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

The PMD’s data showed that the quake was registered with a magnitude of 5.6 at a depth of 120 kilometres at 5:15pm. Tremors were felt in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat and Chitral.

The PMD stated that the quake’s epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) registered a 4.7 magnitude quake less than 30km from the western Pak-Afghan border, at a depth of 10km at 4:53pm.

However, USGS also registered a 5.5 magnitude earthquake less than 10km Pakistan’s northern border with Afghanistan. This one was registered at 5:15pm at a depth of 10km.

A screenshot of a map showing two earthquakes registered north and west of Pakistan. — Screengrab via USGS
A screenshot of a map showing two earthquakes registered north and west of Pakistan. — Screengrab via USGS

Last week, a magnitude 5 earthquake struck close to Punjab’s Layyah on Saturday night, according to the PMD. The department said the quake occurred 50km east of Layyah at 7:54pm at a depth of 20km.

Layyah Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Waseem Hayat told Dawn.com: “The earthquake was felt in the district but no emergency was reported.’’

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