An earthquake of 6.8 magnitudes jolted parts of Pakistan for at least 30 seconds on Tuesday, however, it was not immediately clear whether the tremor had caused any damage or casualties.

Earthquake tremors were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, and other areas of the country.

The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). 

The earthquake’s effects were also felt in Peshawar, Swabi, Lodhran, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Skardu, Kohat, Toba Tek Singh, Parachinar, Nowshera, and Khanewal.

Shaking could be felt as far as the Indian capital, New Delhi, Reuters reported.

Large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.

“People ran out of their houses and were reciting the Quran,” an AFP correspondent in Rawalpindi said.

Last year’s earthquake

It is pertinent to mention here that a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan and Pakistan last year in June. The earthquake killed over 1,000 and injured more than 600 people in Afghanistan.

The quake had struck about 44km (27 miles) from the city of Khost, near the Pakistani border, the US Geological Survey (USGC) said.

Shaking was felt by about 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, the EMSC said.

In Pakistan, tremors were felt in Islamabad, Multan, Bhakkar, Phalia, Peshawar, Malakand, Swat, Mianwali, Pakpattan, and Buner, among other places. Its depth was recorded at 44km, while its epicentre was southwest of Khost in Afghanistan.

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details…