ISLAMABAD: A magnitude 5.5 earthquake rattled the Pakistan–Afghanistan border region in the early hours of Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed. The quake’s epicenter was located in the Hindu Kush mountain range at a depth of 199 kilometres, classifying it as an intermediate-depth seismic event.
Tremors were widely felt across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), spanning a broad swathe of the province from Peshawar to Bajaur, and were also registered in the federal capital, Islamabad. Residents in affected areas reported shaking that lasted several seconds, prompting brief panic in some localities.
No immediate reports of casualties or structural damage have emerged at the time of filing this report. Authorities are monitoring the situation.
The earthquake is the latest in a series of seismic events to affect the country in recent months. According to data from global seismic aggregators and available with MM News, approximately 80 tremors of magnitude 3.5 and above have been recorded in or near Pakistan since the beginning of 2026 — underscoring the country’s position within one of the world’s most seismically active zones.
Pakistan, it may be mentioned here, lies at the convergence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, making it particularly vulnerable to frequent seismic activity, especially in its northern and northwestern regions.
