5.7-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of KP: PMD

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This screengrab taken from USGS website shows the epicentre of the earthquake that struck the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on April 27, 2026. — via USGS
This screengrab taken from USGS website shows the epicentre of the earthquake that struck the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on April 27, 2026. — via USGS

Tremors were felt in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday as an earthquake of 5.7 magnitude struck the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said.

In a statement, the PMD said the quake was recorded at 11:46am. It added that the epicentre was located near Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan and had a depth of 170 kilometres.

According to PMD, jolts from the earthquake were felt in Islamabad, Swat, Shangla and Buner.

However, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake’s magnitude as 5.1 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre having a depth of 105.1km.

Residents of Islamabad and KP had last felt earthquake tremors on April 3, when an earthquake of 6.1 magnitude hit the Hindu Kush Region in Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, Balochistan also witnessed two quakes.

Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region.

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