5.8-magnitude quake shakes Pakistan

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan and neighboring countries early on Friday, according to News.Az.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the quake struck at a depth of 159 km in the Tajikistan–Xinjiang border region at 2 am, News.Az reports, citing Pakistani media.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which measures magnitude using the Moment Magnitude scale, reported a magnitude of 5.3 and a depth of 140 km, with the epicenter in Tajikistan.

The United States Geological Survey said Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, and Afghanistan were among the affected countries.

Media reports indicated that tremors were felt in Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Pakistan sits at the intersection of three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian, and Indian — forming five seismic zones across the country. The convergence of multiple fault lines makes tectonic movements frequent in the region.

In recent months, the country has experienced several quakes, including a 3.2-magnitude earthquake in Karachi in October 2025 and a 5.5-magnitude tremor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in September 2025.