Mangnitude-6 earthquake rattles Islamabad, KP regions, shocks felt as far as Lahore

• Shocks recorded 15km deep in the Hindu Kush mountains.
• Tremors also reported from Chakwal, Taxila, Wah Cantt, Lahore.
• No casualties, major damage reported; officials warn of aftershocks.

ISLAMABAD: A powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake rattled the federal capital and neighbouring cities, including parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with reports of it being felt as far away as Lahore, panicking citizens into rushing out of their homes.

The National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that the quake struck at around 12:18am, with its epicentre in southeastern Afghanistan.

The shocks were recorded 15 kilometres below the surface in the Hindu Kush mountains.

Strong jolts were also felt in Peshawar, Mardan, Murree and adjoining areas, causing people to rush out of homes and offices in panic. Similar reports also poured in from Chakwal, Taxila, Wah Cantt, and Lahore.

However, no major damage or casualties have been reported so far.

Later, aftershocks were also reported in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chitral and Peshawar, according to the NSMC.

People in Hangu, Malakand, Swat, Mansehra and Abbottabad also experienced the seismic activity. The NSMC confirmed that a 4.6-magnitude aftershock struck at 12:38am.

Authorities added that monitoring was ongoing and citizens should remain cautious in case of aftershocks. There have been no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.

Rescue teams and local authorities are assessing the situation, while residents have been advised to remain cautious and avoid staying in unsafe buildings.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan reported casualties from the same magnitude —6.0 — earthquake that rattled Pakistan. 

The tremor, recorded late Sunday, struck southeastern Afghanistan at 11:47 pm local time (12:18 am PST), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

At least nine people were killed and 25 were injured in Nangarhar province, said Ajmal Darwaish, a spokesman for the provincial health department. 

The epicentre was located 27 kilometres east-northeast of Jalalabad at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres (six miles), USGS said.

At least 15 other people were injured, officials said in a statement.

The quake shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, around 370 kilometres away for several seconds, AFP journalists said.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

On August 3, strong tremors shook Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and multiple other areas shortly after midnight, as a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck at 12:10am, the second to hit the region in two days.

The PMD's seismic centre stated that the earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located 15 kilometres southeast of Rawat.

Shocks were also reported in Attock, Swabi, and Zafarwal, as well as in northern areas including Swat, Shangla, Buner, Malakand, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan, and Murree.

Tremors were also felt in Jhelum and several towns across Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

—With additional input from Reuters and AFP.