A four-year-old boy was injured when a powerful earthquake measuring 6.4 rocked northern Pakistan on Friday, forcing people to rush out of their homes.
According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad, the epicentre of the quake measuring 6.4 was located in Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and it originated at a depth of 210kms.
The boy from Upper Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province received injuries when a boundary wall collapsed, a damage assessment report released by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said, adding that a house was also damaged in the area.
However, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the magnitude of the tremor was 6.1.
According to the USGS, two short tremors in quick succession forced residents into the streets in Kabul and Islamabad.
The USGS estimated there would be few economic losses from the quake, with a low likelihood of casualties and damage, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The impact of the strong earthquake was felt in the entire northern Pakistan, including national capital Islamabad and other major cities of Lahore, Peshawar and Murree.
Local TV showed that people rushed out of buildings and their homes in panic.
According to the Dawn newspaper, parliamentarians left an ongoing session in the Parliament and vacated the premises. Officials from the Foreign Office also stepped outside due to the tremors.
PDMA spokesperson Taimur Ali said officials are in contact with district disaster units.
He said the tremors created fear and panic across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including the mountainous area of Malakand division, the report said.
The Express Tribune reported that tremors were also felt in Swat, Bannu, Nowshera, Hangu, Lakki Marwat, Bajaur, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Malakand, Buner, Shangla, Lower Dir and Upper Dir, Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, and Kohat.
A massive earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale, was recorded in Afghanistan on Friday, 20 December evening, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) told IANS.
Tremors of the quake, which occurred at 5.09 pm (IST) and whose epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains 246 km north by northeast of Kabul, were also felt in the Delhi-NCR region.
The depth of the quake was 190 km, as per the IMD, which initially estimated its magnitude at 7.1 before revising it.
Details of casualties or damage were not yet known.
Tremors were also felt in Pakistan, with social media users saying that a “sustained earthquake tremor” was felt in Islamabad.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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