Overview
- The National Seismic Monitoring Centre recorded a 4.8 magnitude quake at 7:06pm on Tuesday that originated about 12 kilometres below the surface with an epicentre roughly 58 kilometres southwest of Jhelum.
- Tremors were widely felt across Islamabad and multiple Punjab cities including Lahore, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Okara and Sheikhupura and caused residents to rush outdoors in panic.
- Local officials and rescue teams reported at least one child killed and multiple people injured after houses collapsed or were badly damaged in Jhelum’s Pind Dadan Khan tehsil, with Jalalpur Sharif and nearby villages the worst hit.
- Rescue 1122 and district emergency teams were dispatched immediately and reached collapse sites within minutes and authorities say search, medical aid and damage assessments are ongoing.
- Pakistan sits on active plate boundaries so shallow quakes like this can be widely felt and experts warn that aftershocks and further localized damage are possible as officials finish inspections and relief work.