5.8-magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan

Islamabad: A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook the Pakistani capital and many parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces though there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to property.

The quake, which occurred at 11.57 pm and lasted more than seven seconds, was felt in Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Gilgit and across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. At many places, people rushed out of their homes and offices and began praying. This was the fourth major temblor to rock parts of Pakistan since last month. The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the quake measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was located 88 km east of Jammu city in India. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 km, it said. Last month, a 7.8-magnitude quake in southeastern Iran killed more than 30 people and flattened hundreds of homes in a remote region of Pakistan`s Balochistan province. PTI