LAHORE: Tremors were felt in Lahore and several other districts of Punjab on Friday night after a moderate earthquake struck the Kashmir-India border region. However, no loss of life or property was immediately reported.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the earthquake,measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale and originating at a depth of 18 kilometres, occurred at 9:35pm.
The epicentre was located in the Kashmir-India border region at latitude 32.33 degrees North and longitude 76.58 degrees East.
The tremors were felt in Lahore and parts of central Punjab, prompting some people, especially those living in high rises, to leave the buildings as a precaution. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) says that no casualties or property damage has been reported from any district of Punjab.
A PDMA spokesperson says the authority remained in contact with the administrations of affected districts and emergency response agencies to monitor the situation.
PDMA Director General Umar Javed says the relevant authorities have been directed to inspect the public as well as private buildings to assess any possible structural damage.
He says the PDMA provincial control room and district emergency operation centres across Punjab remained operational round the clock to respond to any emergency situation.
People are advised to report any earthquake-related damage or emergency on the PDMA helpline 1129.
Officials urged the public to remain calm and follow safety guidelines in case of any aftershocks.
Pakistan lies in a seismically active region and experiences earthquakes of varying intensity from time to time due to the movement of tectonic plates in the Himalayan belt and surrounding areas.
Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026