ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – On Saturday, a moderate 5.3 magnitude earthquake jolted regions of the nation, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit, and the federal capital.
The National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) stated that an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter Scale struck Swat, Peshawar, Lower Dir, Swabi, Nowshera, Islamabad, and other places, causing panicked residents to evacuate their houses.
According to the monitoring centre, the earthquake had a depth of 180 kilometres and its epicentre was near the Afghan-Tajik border.
Earlier that day, on December 24, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck Swat and adjacent districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the monitoring centre, the earthquake had a depth of 226 kilometres and its epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountain range.