Magnitude 4.9 earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 jolted Islamabad and parts of Pakistan on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

The earthquake originated at 4:30pm PST at a depth of 196 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

The epicentre was located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, at 36.53°N latitude and 70.88°E longitude.

Further details about the impact of the earthquake are awaited.

Major tremors reported in 2026 in Pakistan

Several earthquakes have been recorded in and around Pakistan since the beginning of 2026, with some of the strongest tremors originating in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and being felt across parts of the country.

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded east of Khuzdar on September 21, according to available seismic records. Other earthquakes were reported in areas near Sialkot, Peshawar and Mingora during September.

In August, earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 4.6 were reported in the Muzaffarabad region, while other tremors were recorded near Peshawar and Battagram.

One of the strongest earthquakes affecting Pakistan in 2026 occurred on June 27. The PMD reported its magnitude as 5.9, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured it at 6.1. The earthquake originated in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and was felt in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other areas.

A separate magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Musakhel in Balochistan on the same day, injuring more than 20 people and damaging around 125 houses.

Other major earthquakes felt in the country during the ongoing year included a magnitude 5.7 earthquake near the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border on April 27 and a magnitude 5.4 earthquake in the Hindu Kush region on June 22.

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake was also reported on February 13 in the country, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).