Earthquake jolts parts of Swat, Chitral

The earthquake had an intensity of 5.0, says USGS website.

PESHAWAR: Tremors were felt in parts of Swat, Chitral and Peshawar late on Monday, Express News reported.

According to US Geological Survey, an earthquake with an intensity of 5.0 in the Richter scale was felt in Farkhar, Afghanistan. The epicentre is at a 200 km distance from Chitral, Pakistan where earthquake jolts were also felt.

The quake was 208 kilometres deep and struck at 21:48 GMT, USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.

Last month, a 7.8-magnitude quake, centred in southeastern Iran killed 41 people. In Pakistan, the worst-affected area had Mashkhel, in Balochistan, where the lack of paved roads, electricity, mobile phone coverage and medical facilities has hampered the rescue effort.

Tremors were felt in Sindh and Punjab as well, causing panic and immediate evacuation of offices, towers and residential buildings.