Powerful twin earthquakes rattle many Pakistani cities

ISLAMABAD, June 17: Powerful twin earthquakes have jolted many cities including Islamabad panicking people who rushed out of their homes and houses.
The first earthquake struck afternoon on Friday and shook a number of areas in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir and the second earthquake jolted the areas including Islamabad in the evening.
According to the seismic centre, the magnitude of the earthquake, which struck at 2:25 pm, was five on the Richter Scale and its epicentre was near the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It struck at a depth of 218 kilometres under the ground.
The earthquake tremors were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Okara, Faisalabad, Attock, Multan, Jalalpur Bhattian, Bhakkar, Murree, Hafizabad and Mianwali.
The cities which were shaken by the earthquake in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were Malakand, Swat, Abbottabad, Charsadda, Mingora, Peshawar, Swabi, Upper Dir, Buner, Mardan, Diamer, Kohat and Shangla.
The Azad Kashmir cities of Rawalakot and Bagh were also jolted by the powerful earthquake. The earthquake lasted for a few seconds, causing fear across the whole region. The citizens were forced to run for safety, and away from their residences and offices.
The people in the affected areas exited their houses and offices immediately reciting Holy Quran verses. According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the second earthquake was 4.8 on the Richter scale and its centre was the Afghan-Tajikistan border and its depth was 90 kilometres. -TLTP