ISLAMABAD: A moderate earthquake jolted parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and some cities of Punjab on Thursday evening. However, no casualties were reported.

Pakistan Meteorological Depart­ment’s spokesman Zahid Rafi told Dawn that the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.8 on Richter Scale and originated at a depth of 173km in the Hindukush region of Afghanistan around 7:26pm.

The tremors continued for more than 30 seconds and sent people scurrying to the open places, according to reports from various cities and towns of KP.

Mr Rafi added that earthquakes measuring up to 4.9 on the Richter Scale in the Hindukush region were “routine” whereas earthquakes of above five-magnitude were felt every four to five years.

Similarly, he said, earthquakes of six or above magnitude occur every six to seven years, with a seven or above magnitude quake occurring after 10 years.

The depths of these earthquakes normally remained between 250km and 300km, he added.

Mr Rafi said that since the epicentre of Thursday’s earthquake was only 173km deep, it was felt in large parts of the country and could be called a “shallow earthquake”.

He also ruled out the possibility of any aftershocks in Pakistan. However, some were felt in Afghanistan, Taji­kistan and Uzbekistan.

Rain and snowfall

Meanwhile, the Met Office has forecast rains and snowfall in northern areas and Balochistan.

“A westerly wave is likely to enter north Balochistan on Friday evening (today) and likely to grip upper parts of the province on weekend. Under the influence of this weather system, light to moderate rain, with snowfall over the hills, is expected in Quetta,

Zhob, Barkhan, Ziarat, Nokundi, Dalbandin, Harnai, Qilla Saifullah, Qilla Abdullah, Chaman and Pishin on Saturday and Sunday,“ the Met Office said.

Moderate rain with snowfall is also expected in Murree, Galiyat; Kashmir (Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur); Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar); and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Chitral, Dir, Swat, Malakand, Kohistan, Mansehra and Abbottabad) from Saturday to Monday, the announcement said.

Light rain is also expected in Islamabad, Potohar region, Charsadda, Bajaur, Kurram, Waziristan and Kohat over the weekend.

The rain will reduce foggy conditions with temperatures likely to fall between five and seven degrees Celsius during the wet spell. The Met Office cautioned that the snowfall and landslides might block roads and disrupt traffic in the mountainous areas of Kashmir and GB.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2023