GILGIT-BALTISTAN / RankWire.AI / – A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck northeastern Pakistan early Thursday, sending strong tremors through parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan’s official seismic record measured the earthquake at magnitude 5.3. The tremor occurred at 5:35 a.m. local time on August 13. Its epicenter lay about 27 kilometers northwest of Sost, near the Khunjerab area. The Pakistan Meteorological Department placed the depth at 15 kilometers. Residents across several northern communities felt the shaking during the early morning hours.
The earthquake affected Hunza and Nagar districts, with Chipurson Valley in Upper Hunza reporting some of the clearest ground effects. Residents left homes as shaking moved through communities surrounded by steep mountain slopes. Landslides and falling rocks followed in parts of the valley. A rockfall blocked the Chipurson Valley road near Ramanji and interrupted local access. The route serves remote settlements in a region where mountain roads provide vital links between villages and larger population centers.
Authorities reported no deaths or injuries from the main earthquake during their initial assessment. They also reported no confirmed structural damage at that stage. Rockfalls and landslides remained the main documented impact on local infrastructure. The Gilgit-Baltistan administration monitored affected areas and road conditions after the shaking. Officials also reviewed access to settlements where debris had reached mountain routes. The earthquake added another significant seismic event to a part of northern Pakistan that has experienced repeated tremors during 2026.
Rockfalls block road access in Upper Hunza
The epicenter sat close to Sost, a town on the Karakoram Highway corridor in northern Pakistan. Sost lies south of the Khunjerab Pass and serves communities across Upper Hunza. The Khunjerab route links Pakistan with China’s Xinjiang region through a high-altitude border crossing. Mountain terrain surrounds much of the district and makes road access sensitive to rockfalls and slope failures. Thursday’s earthquake produced noticeable shaking across this remote region, with reported effects concentrated around communities closest to the epicentral area.
A second earthquake hit the same general area later Thursday morning. Official seismic data placed that tremor at 9:24 a.m. local time. It measured magnitude 4.7 and had a depth of 19 kilometers. Its epicenter lay about 28 kilometers west-northwest of Sost. The location placed the second event close to the earlier earthquake. Both tremors occurred within about four hours, extending a period of seismic activity across Upper Hunza and nearby districts.
Northern Pakistan sees repeated seismic activity
Northern Pakistan also experienced a stronger earthquake earlier this year. A magnitude 5.8 quake struck the region on January 19 and affected Hunza, Ghizer and other areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. That event triggered landslides, damaged homes and blocked roads in several mountain communities. One person died and several others suffered injuries. Chipurson Valley also sustained damage to homes and local infrastructure. Road closures complicated access after the January earthquake and affected travel between isolated settlements.
Pakistan’s northern mountain belt forms part of a highly active seismic region influenced by major tectonic plate movement. Earthquakes regularly affect Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and neighboring areas of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. The August 13 earthquake again centered near Sost and brought strong shaking to communities in Upper Hunza. Landslides and rockfalls disrupted road access, but authorities reported no casualties from the main event. Official records also showed a second notable earthquake near Sost later the same morning.
