Mild quake shakes Islamabad, Rawalpindi, northern areas

Tremors felt in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

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A magnitude 5.1 quake struck very close to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

According to the Seismological Centre, the quakes epicenter was 23 km in the north-east direction whereas its depth was recorded at 10km.

The quake, with a moderate magnitude, hit at 1:59 am local time, USGS said. The cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Hassan Abdal, Haripur, Havailian, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Butgram were rocked by the natural disaster. The shakes were felt in Swabi, Battagram and Kohistan.

It should be mentioned here that the shakes continued for at least 10 seconds that appalled people. Apart from these cities, parts of Gujranwala and its surrounding areas also experienced mild shakes. The natural disaster induced fear and shock among people of these areas, who were forced to come out of their homes and recite the Kalima. It was hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake on October 8, 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.