- Pakistan earthquake Balochistan damages property but no casualties reported
- 5.2 magnitude quake recorded near Barkhan and Kohlu
- Tremors felt across multiple regions including Zhob and Rakhni
- Pakistan remains vulnerable due to active tectonic fault lines
Pakistan experienced a series of moderate earthquakes in recent days, highlighting the country’s ongoing vulnerability to seismic activity due to its geological location.
In its latest statement, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said an earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan with its epicentre located approximately 60 kilometres northeast of Kohlu, a district in the province of Balochistan. Tremors were felt across nearby areas including Zhob, Barkhan, and Rakhni.
The PMD reported that the quake occurred at 4:48pm local time at a depth of 17 kilometres, indicating a relatively shallow event that can often be felt more strongly at the surface. Reports from local authorities suggest that property damage has occurred in parts of Balochistan; however, no loss of life has been reported so far.
Separately, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the same earthquake at a magnitude of 5.2, locating it north-northeast of Barkhan at a depth of 10 kilometres.
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Earlier in the week, another earthquake measuring 5.4 in magnitude struck parts of northern and central Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Punjab province, and the capital city, Islamabad.
According to the PMD, that tremor originated in the Hindu Kush mountain region of neighbouring Afghanistan — a known seismic hotspot — at a depth of 215 kilometres. Despite its greater depth, the quake was widely felt across major urban centres including Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, as well as several smaller cities and districts.
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Recent seismic activity follows a deadly incident last month in Pind Dadan Khan, a town in Punjab’s Jhelum district, where at least one person was killed and 11 others injured after homes were severely damaged by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake, according to local authorities.
Pakistan lies at the intersection of three major tectonic plates — the Arabian Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Indian Plate — making it one of the more seismically active regions in South Asia. The constant movement and interaction of these plates create multiple fault lines across the country, resulting in frequent earthquakes of varying intensity.
While most tremors are minor and cause little damage, the country’s seismic risk remains significant, particularly in densely populated or structurally vulnerable areas.