On Sunday, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake was felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, and Upper Neelum Valley. No one was hurt or anything was broken.
The center of the earthquake, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad, was near the border with Tajikistan, 223 kilometers underground. The Upper Neelum Valley towns of Sharda, Keil, Halmat, Dudhniyal, and Sheikh Bela all felt the quakes.
People rushed out of their homes to pray for safety in places where the shaking was stronger.
Parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were shaken by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake earlier this year. At least two people died and 180 others were hurt.
Recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have made many people wonder if Pakistan’s infrastructure is safe enough and if our area could be hit by an earthquake of the same size or even a smaller one.
The World Bank says that since the 2005 earthquake, the chance of earthquakes in Pakistan has only gone up. In its Fiscal Disaster Risk Assessment Options for Consideration, the World Bank says, “If the 2005 earthquake happened today, it could cost nearly twice as much, or $2.8 billion, just in damage to homes.”