5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad

An earthquake of 5.8 magnitude struck Islamabad and surrounding areas on Monday, causing panic among the people, Geo News reported. 

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad, the earthquake tremors were felt at 3:19pm. 

The magnitude on the Ritcher scale was recorded to be 5.8 while its depth was 140 kilometres. The seismic centre added that the epicentre of the quake was Doda District in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). 

Meanwhile, the tremors were also felt in other parts of the country including Samahni and Bhimbhar of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Peshawar.

It should be noted that no immediate casualties or damages have been reported in the aftermath of the quake.

Zainab Tariq, a 27-year-old student in Islamabad told Thenews.com.pk that she felt the tremors, but they weren’t that strong.

"I was sitting in my room when the building suddenly started shaking. I ran downstairs but couldn't see anyone else outside, so I thought it was not felt by many people".

Natural disasters such as earthquakes are not uncommon in Pakistan, as the country is situated on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

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

Recent earthquakes underscore the importance of disaster preparedness and mitigation measures.