Seismic event: Mild quake jolts Lahore

LAHORE:

A rare but mild earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale jolted Lahore and its surrounding areas on Thursday.

According to Director Seismic Met Islamabad, the tremor lasted no longer than five seconds. No aftershocks were reported either, he added. Some panic, nonetheless, spread through the city and residents and shopkeepers raced out of their houses and shops immediately afterwards.

“I was in my room when I felt my house shaking,” recalled Muhammad Din, a resident of a three-storey house in Shah Alam Market. “A clock on the wall fell due to the quake. I heard my daughter reciting Quranic verses, fearing the worst,” he added. Preliminary information released by the Met office measured the tremors at around 3.4 on the Richter scale. Later, however, the Met office revised the readings to 4.2.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2014.