Tremors were felt late Tuesday night in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and several other cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a moderate earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.

According to the Seismological Centre, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of 234 kilometres. The tremors were felt at around 11:15pm.

The quake was felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, Dir, Malakand, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Upper Dir, Bajaur, Buner, Haripur, Shangla, Taxila, Gujrat, Daudkhel, Mandi Bahauddin, and Bagh in Azad Kashmir.

Panic gripped residents in several cities, including Peshawar, where people rushed out of their homes and buildings after feeling the tremors.

Initial reports suggested no loss of life or property. Authorities said monitoring is underway to assess any potential damage.