Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan; Tremors Felt in Delhi-NCR, Pak

An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale hit the Hindukush region on Saturday, 2 February.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/ @LastQuake)

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake jolted several cities in the northern parts of Pakistan on 2 February, Saturday, the meteorological department said.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualty or damage.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department's National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad, the epicentre of the quake was Hindu Kush, a mountain range that stretches near the Afghan-Pakistan border — from central Afghanistan to northern Pakistan.

The earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale took place at a depth of 208 kilometres in the Hindu Kush Region in Afghanistan, it said.

The tremors were felt in various cities of Pakistan, including Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Kohat, Swat, Mianwali and Sargodha, the Dawn News reported.

Earlier in the day, a mild tremor was also felt in Karachi at 7:38 am. According to the Met department, it was recorded at a 2.9 magnitude on the Richter scale.

In another incident, a strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Mentawai on Saturday, but no tsunami warning was issued. The earthquake hit at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles) in West Sumatra province.

The quake comes a day after Palghar district in Maharashtra was hit by a spate of tremors in 24 hours.

According to reports, a two-year-old girl died when the consecutive earthquakes hit Maharashtra's Talsari Taluka of Palghar district.