Magnitude 5.2 earthquake jolts parts of Punjab, KP, AJK

Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Kotli and surrounding areas feel tremors

An earthquake of 5.2 magnitude jolted parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir on Tuesday. Reports of loss of life or property could not be confirmed as yet.

Tremors were felt in Lahore, Tarnol, Islamabad, Peshawar, Muridke, Sheikhpura, Ferozewala, Phul Nagar, Kala Shah Kaku, Kotli, Rawalkot and other areas in the region.

In areas where the tremors were felt more acutely, people thronged out of their houses praying for safety.

On May 28, an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude shook Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree and Upper Neelum Valley. No loss of life or property was reported.

Read CAN PAKISTAN SURVIVE A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE?

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad, the epicentre of the earthquake was the Tajikistan border and it hit 223 kilometers underground. Tremors were felt in Sharda, Keil, Halmat, Dudhniyal and Sheikh Bela areas of Upper Neelum Valley.

Earlier this year, an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude jolted parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, claiming the lives of at least two people and injuring 180 others.

Recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have raised many questions about whether the conditions of the infrastructure we have in Pakistan are safe enough, and if our region faces a seismic catastrophe of similar magnitude or even an earthquake of low intensity.

According to the World Bank, since the earthquake of 2005, seismic risks in Pakistan have only increased. In its Fiscal Disaster Risk Assessment Options for Consideration the World Bank assesses that “if the 2005 earthquake were to occur today, it could cost nearly twice as much — $2.8 billion — in damages to residential properties alone.”