A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan on Saturday morning, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The quake hit at around 8:36 am local time at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles), Reuters reported.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries, as it sits along the collision zone of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The constant movement of these plates frequently triggers earthquakes across the region.
Areas such as Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, located near major fault lines, are particularly vulnerable to seismic activity. Provinces including Punjab and Sindh, which lie along the northwestern edge of the Indian Plate, are also susceptible to earthquakes.
Saturday’s tremor comes less than 24 hours after a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan on Friday evening, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), underscoring the country’s heightened seismic activity in recent days.