5.5-magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan's capital Islamabad

The epicentre of the earthquake was located 20 km northwest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district at a depth of 12 km, the Pakistan meteorological department said on its website.

Islamabad: Pakistan's capital Islamabad and several other regions were hit by an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale on Wednesday. Tremors were felt in parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and east Punjab provinces including Peshawar, Nowshera, and Kohat.

According to Pakistan meteorological department, the epicentre of the earthquake was 20 kilometres northwest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district at a depth of 12 km. Pakistan's Geo TV reported that the tremors were felt at 8:25 AM (Pakistan time) for about 15 to 20 seconds. The channel also reported that tremors were also felt in Swat along Malakand division along with Manshera, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Abbottabad, and Mardan.

At least nine children were injured in Bannu's Government Model School near Tankhi Bazaar. The panic-stricken children rushed out of the three-story building. A few jumped from the second and third floor of the building. The injured have been moved to District Headquarters Hospital, an Express Tribune report said.

In April 2018, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted many towns of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The epicenter of the quake was at the depth of 200 km in Hindu Kush mountain area of Afghanistan.

(With inputs from PTI)