Pakistan Earthquake Today: 5.3 Magnitude Quake Near Rawalpindi

The European Mediterranean Seismological Center confirmed that an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck Pakistan on Saturday. The depth of the earthquake was 39 kilometers. The National Center for Seismology (NCS) claims that because the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km, aftershocks are more likely to occur.

"EQ of M: 5.3, On: 12/04/2025 13:00:55 IST, Lat: 33.70 N, Long: 72.43 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Pakistan," the NCS wrote in a post on X. Sixty kilometers northwest of Rawalpindi.

Tremors Across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The districts of Attock, Chakwal, and Mianwali in Punjab, as well as the surrounding areas, felt the effects of the earthquake. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, tremors were also reported in Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, and Shabqadar.

Earthquakes of various sizes are common in Pakistan. More than 74,000 people were killed in the deadliest, which happened in 2005. Because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes, like Saturday's, travel a shorter distance to the Earth's surface and cause more intense ground shaking, they are frequently more dangerous than deeper ones. Buildings and infrastructure may sustain significant damage as a result, raising the possibility of casualties.

Pakistan's location across multiple major fault lines makes it one of the world's most seismically active nations. The country is situated where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
While Sindh, Punjab, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are situated on the northwest edge of the Indian Plate, the southern edge of the Eurasian Plate is home to the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Because of the continuous tectonic collision, the area is extremely vulnerable to strong and damaging earthquakes.

Earthquakes in the Region: Tajikistan and Afghanistan Also Affected

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 struck Tajikistan, Pakistan's neighbor, earlier on Saturday. The NCS reports that it happened at a depth of 110 km at 12:24:09 IST. The epicentre was located at 37.04 N, 71.68 E.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 struck Afghanistan, another nearby nation, on April 5. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 90 kilometers at 08:45:58 IST. The coordinates of the epicentre were 35.28 N, 68.75 E.

As monitoring continues, more updates are anticipated.

(With inputs from ANI)