Sixteenth earthquake jolts Karachi since Sunday

KARACHI: Karachi has been jolted by at least 16 mild earthquakes since Sunday, the Seismic Monitoring Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed on Tuesday, raising concern among residents across various parts of the city.

The latest tremor occurred at 9:57am, registering a magnitude of 2.8. The epicentre of the 16th quake was located northeast of Malir, approximately 15 kilometres from the area, at a depth of 40 kilometres.

Previously, two back-to-back tremors were recorded late Monday night — the first at midnight with a magnitude of 2.6 and the second at 12:23am measuring 2.8. Both had a depth of 40 kilometres and were centred northeast of Malir.

The third tremor occurred at 6:42am Tuesday with a magnitude of 3.2 and a shallower depth of 11 kilometres, near Korangi.

Since Sunday evening, repeated mild tremors have been felt in Karachi’s Landhi, Quaidabad, Malir, and surrounding neighbourhoods, raising concerns among residents. No significant damage or injuries have been reported.

Chief Meteorologist Aamir Haider attributed the ongoing seismic activity to the activation of the Landhi Fault Line, which he said is currently going through a normalisation phase.

According to Haider, mild earthquakes may continue for up to another week as energy is gradually being released from the fault line. He explained that this slow release of energy helps prevent the risk of a major earthquake.

“This particular fault line has been activated after several decades,” he noted, adding that the shallow depth of recent quakes is the reason they are being felt more intensely across the city.

Haider stressed that buildings situated directly above the fault line should be capable of withstanding tremors of up to magnitude 6. He also pointed out that the fault lines running through Karachi have been historically identified and documented.

Responding to concerns over cracks developing in homes, Haider clarified that such issues are related to structural integrity and not necessarily linked to seismic activity.

He also mentioned the presence of another fault line near Thana Bula Khan, contributing to the overall seismic activity in and around Karachi.