A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck various regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), including Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, on Thursday, sparking fear and panic among residents.

The National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad reported that the quake’s epicenter was in the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border area at a depth of 212 kilometers. Tremors were felt in Peshawar, North Waziristan, Lower Dir, Malakand, and AJK’s Neelum Valley along with its surrounding areas, prompting people to rush out of buildings in alarm.

Fortunately, no casualties or property damage have been reported so far. This marks the second earthquake in KP this month; two weeks ago, a 5.3-magnitude quake affected areas such as Peshawar, Mohmand, Swat, and Abbottabad. In September, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake had shaken Islamabad and parts of Punjab and KP.

Pakistan frequently experiences earthquakes due to its location along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Much of South Asia is prone to seismic activity as the Indian plate continues to push northward into the Eurasian plate.