ISLAMABAD: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Pakistan on Friday night, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said, with tremors felt across the northwestern region.
The PMD said the quake was felt across multiple areas including Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, Chitral and Shangla, prompting residents to rush out of homes and buildings.
“An earthquake was recorded on 03-04-2026 at 21:13 PST with a magnitude of 6.2 and a depth of 190 km,” the PMD said in a statement. “Its epicenter was the Hindu Kush region Afghanistan.”
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.
Pakistan lies in a seismically active region shaped by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, with major mountain systems including the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush.
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake in 2005 killed more than 70,000 people in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s history.
Strong but deep earthquakes in the region are often felt across a wide area, including major cities in Pakistan, though they typically cause limited damage due to their depth.
