Major earthquake tremors were felt in Lahore, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Sargodha, Sialkot, Sheikhupura and other parts of Punjab this noon.
Dawn reports the 4.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded at a focal depth of 10 kms. ThePakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the epicentre was near Nankana Sahib. The report in Dawn also says “television footage showed electronic fixtures inside buildings shaking,” and that residents vacated buildings and headed for open spaces in fear.
The Daily Times reports it was the second earthquake to hit Pakistan in a day, first being the tremors of a powerful 5.2 magnitude earthquake that jolted Peshawar, Islamabad, with Hindu Kush Region of Afghanistan as its epicentre.
Since 2016 began, over a dozen small quakes have hit Pakistan. Reacting to the series of tremors felt, Director General Met Dr Ghulam Rasul, the country’s top meteorologist, had said “small and frequent tremors are far less dangerous as they help dissipate seismic energy which, if stored up for too long, manifests itself in the shape of massive quakes that can cause widespread damage.”