Earthquake of 6.3 Magnitude Hits Pakistan; No Casualities So Far

AN EARTHQUAKE of 6.3 magnitude hit Pakistan on Sunday, said a report by the news agency PTI. However, no loss of life or property has been reported so far.

According to the Meteorological Department, the epicentre of the earthquake, which had a depth of 150 km, was in Tajikistan.

The same report also said that the recent tremors were felt across the country at nearly 12.54 pm and had a longitude of 69.65 East and a latitude of 38.65 North.

Meanwhile, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, an independent tracker of earthquakes through crowdsourced information, mentioned that the earthquake was recorded near Attock in Punjab province of Pakistan.

As per a report by Radio Pakistan, there were no immediate reports of casualties. The tremor was felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other regions of the country.

Pakistan is situated in a quake-prone region. Earlier in 2005, a deadly earthquake hit the country killing more than 74,000 people.

Earlier on January 5, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on the Richter Scale jolted several parts of Pakistan.

According to Pakistan's Geo News, no loss of live or property was reported. The epicenter of the earthquake was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, according to Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC).

After the unprecedented earthquake last June, more than 30 million people in Pakistan have been affected by torrential rains and flash floods, leaving 6.4 million people in need of immediate support.

Since June last year, hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the floods, and are now living in camps, or with host families. Months after unprecedented floods ravaged Pakistan, vast swathes of cropland and villages remain under water.

According to UNICEF, millions of people are still exposed to floodwaters or living close to flooded areas. Many families are still living in makeshift tents alongside the road or near the rubble of their home - often in the open, right next to contaminated and stagnant water.

(With inputs from agencies)