A moderate earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale jolted northern Pakistan, including the federal capital, on early Sunday morning but no damage was reported, officials said.
People in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mansehra, Battagram and Swat districts woke up to jerks at 7:50 am but remained safe. The epicentre of the earthquake was in Hazara, some 200 kilometers north of Peshawar.
The Met Office said the tremor was an aftershock of the massive October 8 earthquake that killed over 73,000 people and left four million homeless.
The jolts sent a fresh wave of fear among the people but there was no immediate word on whether it caused any damage.
NWFP relief commission, however, feared the quake might have damaged the houses and buildings in Mansehra and Battagram districts. Structures in these areas are already crumbling after the October earthquake.
The Met Office has recorded 1,786 mild and 60 moderate aftershocks since October 8 and said they might continue for another two to three months.. The most intense aftershock was the one recorded on November 6 that measured 6.0 on the Richter Scale.
"The chain of aftershocks is expected to end in the coming days and there is no possibility of any big jolt again," said a Met official.
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