| IRNA -- A moderate earthquake, measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, twice hit Pakistan`s mountainous northern areas on Sunday, the metrological department said. There was no report of any casualty or property damage. The quake hit the Gilgit region, about 400 kilometers north of the capital Islamabad, first at 5:19 a.m. and then at 11:03a.m., an official in the metrological department of the northern city of Peshawar said. He said the epicenter was located in Astore, some 300 kilometers northeast of Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province. The earthquake sent people fleeing from their houses, according to local correspondents. Several earthquakes in the past have hit Pakistan`s northern areas, which are considered to be located in the earthquake zone. At least 23 people were killed and many injured in an earthquake that hit Gilgit in November 2002. In 1974, a huge earthquake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, killed 5,300 people close to the town of Patan, some 150 kilometers along the Karakoram Highway between Gilgit and Islamabad. |