What happened
An earthquake centred in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region shook Islamabad and several cities across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the evening of Saturday, 27 June 2026, hours after three quakes jolted parts of Balochistan and injured at least three people.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the quake struck at 6:35pm with a magnitude of 5.9 and a depth of 178 kilometres. Tremors were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mansehra, Shangla, Swat, Chakwal, Abbottabad, Taxila, Haripur and Buner, while the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority reported tremors in Lahore, Faisalabad and Attock. A Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Farooq Ahmad, said no damage or injuries had been reported after the evening quake. The PDMA said authorities were inspecting buildings and that the provincial control room and district emergency centres remained active.
Earlier in the day, Balochistan recorded three earthquakes. Officials said two tremors of magnitude 5.2 and 4.3 jolted a wide area including Barkhan district. The first, at 8:06am, had a depth of 19 kilometres and an epicentre 52 kilometres north-east of Barkhan, according to the PDMA and the National Seismic Monitoring Centre; the United States Geological Survey put its magnitude at 5.4 with a depth of 10 kilometres. A 4.3-magnitude tremor preceded it. A third quake of magnitude 4.2 was recorded at 8:30pm, with its epicentre 50 kilometres north-west of Kohlu and a depth of 12 kilometres.
At least three people were injured. Two labourers were hurt when the roof of a shop collapsed in Musakhail district, and a man named Fazal was injured when his house collapsed north-west of Musakhail’s Kingri area. Cracks appeared in the walls of mud houses and many residents left their homes for tents. The PDMA and local administration launched a rescue operation after receiving reports of the quakes.
Why it matters
The tremors were a reminder of the seismic risk across Pakistan’s north and west. The Hindu Kush is a frequent source of quakes felt across northern Pakistan, and Balochistan’s border districts have been jolted repeatedly in recent weeks. The same area near Kohlu was hit by a 5.1-magnitude quake on Friday, and a 5.4-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Islamabad on Monday, 22 June. In districts where many homes are built of mud and unreinforced masonry, even moderate quakes can crack or bring down structures and force families out of their homes.
What is still uncertain
Damage assessments were continuing and the official casualty figures could change. Magnitude and depth estimates differed between the Pakistan Meteorological Department and the USGS, which is common in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake. The cited reports did not give a final tally of damaged buildings or of people displaced.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 2026-06-27.
- Dawn — "Tremors felt in Punjab, KP hours after quakes in Balochistan"27 June 2026 · The Hindu Kush quake and the three Balochistan tremors, with official magnitudes, depths and casualty reports.
