ISLAMABAD: A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, and several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) Seismic Network.
The tremor’s epicentre was located in southeast Afghanistan at a shallow depth of 22 kilometres. The US Geological Survey also confirmed the quake. No immediate reports of damage or casualties emerged from Pakistan following the latest jolt.
Aftershocks of a Deadly Quake
The epicentre lay close to the site of Sunday night’s devastating magnitude-6.0 earthquake that flattened homes in Afghanistan’s mountainous eastern provinces. That disaster has left at least 1,411 people dead and more than 3,100 injured in Kunar province alone, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed on Tuesday. Another dozen fatalities and hundreds of injuries were reported in neighbouring Nangarhar province.
Rescue operations remain ongoing as emergency workers and volunteers dig through rubble in areas that remain cut off by damaged or inaccessible roads. Afghan officials say more than 5,400 homes were destroyed in Kunar, with the devastation expected to affect “hundreds of thousands” of people, according to UN humanitarian coordinator Indrika Ratwatte.
International Response
Afghanistan’s limited capacity to deal with natural disasters has been further strained by a decline in foreign aid since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. Still, several countries and international organisations have pledged support.
The European Union announced the delivery of 130 tonnes of emergency supplies alongside €1 million ($1.2 million) in assistance for survivors of Sunday’s quake. Temporary emergency facilities are also being set up in the worst-hit provinces to provide immediate relief.
