Earthquake hits Pakistan: The development comes just two days after another 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat and its adjoining localities on Sunday, sending tremors across the area.
A massive earthquake of magnitude 4.4 on the Richter Scale hit Pakistan at 21:58:26 (IST) on Wednesday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. The details were shared by the NCS in a post on X where it said the earthquake was reported at 21:58:26 IST, with its epicentre located at latitude 31.08°N and longitude 68.84°E. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 50 kilometres.
The development comes just two days after another 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat and its adjoining localities on Sunday, sending tremors across the area.
It should be noted that Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — as per the geological engineer Muhammad Rehan, creating five seismic zones within the country.
The 4.4-magnitude earthquake on Sunday had jolted Swat and adjoining areas with a depth of 185 kilometres and epicentre in Hindukush, a private news channel reported, citing the National Seismic Monitoring Centre.
Soon after the earthquake was reported, people were seen coming out of their homes in panic and running to safer places. However, no loss of life or property was reported from any part of Swat, according to the report.
Earlier on April 12, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on the Richter Scale jolted Pakistan on Saturday, a statement by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said. According to NCS, the earthquake was reported at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.
In a post on X, the NCS said, “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.”
Moreover, Pakistan geologically overlaps both the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Balochistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces lie on the southern edge of the Eurasian plate on the Iranian Plateau.
Sindh, Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir provinces lie on the northwestern edge of the Indian plate in South Asia. Hence, this region is prone to violent earthquakes, as the two tectonic plates collide.