GILGIT-BALTISTAN / RankWire.AI / – A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck northeastern Pakistan early Thursday, shaking parts of Gilgit-Baltistan near the country’s northern frontier. Pakistan’s official seismic record measured the event at magnitude 5.3. The quake occurred at 5:35 a.m. local time on August 13. Its epicenter lay 27 kilometers northwest of Sost, near the Khunjerab area. The Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded a depth of 15 kilometers for the earthquake.
Strong tremors reached Hunza and Nagar districts, with Chipurson Valley in Upper Hunza among the areas most affected. The mountainous valley lies near Pakistan’s borders with China and Afghanistan. Shaking prompted people in several communities to leave their homes. Landslides and rockfalls followed in parts of the valley. A rockfall also blocked the Chipurson Valley road near Ramanji, disrupting access along a route serving remote settlements in the high mountain region.
Local authorities reported no casualties following the main earthquake. Officials also reported no confirmed structural damage during their initial assessment. The quake nevertheless caused significant ground movement across steep terrain, where falling rocks affected local roads. Chipurson Valley has narrow access routes that run through rugged mountains. The Gilgit-Baltistan administration monitored conditions in communities affected by the shaking and related landslides as officials assessed the immediate impact on roads and populated areas.
Landslides disrupt access in Upper Hunza
The earthquake’s epicenter was close to Sost, a northern Pakistani town along the Karakoram Highway corridor. Sost serves communities in Upper Hunza and sits south of the Khunjerab Pass. The pass connects Pakistan with China’s Xinjiang region through one of the world’s highest international road crossings. Thursday’s earthquake centered in the broader northwestern Kashmir seismic zone, according to official data. Its shallow depth helped produce noticeable shaking across nearby mountain communities in northeastern Pakistan.
Another earthquake struck the same area later Thursday morning. Official seismic data recorded the second event at 9:24 a.m. local time. It measured magnitude 4.7 and occurred at a depth of 19 kilometers. Its epicenter was 28 kilometers west-northwest of Sost, placing it close to the location of the earlier quake. The two recorded events brought renewed seismic activity to an area that experienced a damaging earthquake earlier this year.
Region has faced repeated earthquakes in 2026
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Pakistan on January 19, affecting Hunza, Ghizer and other parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. That earthquake triggered landslides, damaged homes and blocked roads in mountainous areas. One person died and several people suffered injuries during the January event. Chipurson Valley also recorded serious damage, including impacts on homes and local infrastructure. Road closures complicated access to affected settlements as authorities and humanitarian groups responded to communities in the region.
Northern Pakistan lies in a highly active seismic region shaped by the movement of major tectonic plates. Earthquakes regularly affect Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and neighboring areas of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. The August 13 earthquake again concentrated its strongest reported effects around Upper Hunza, where landslides disrupted road access but caused no reported loss of life. Official records showed two notable earthquakes near Sost within four hours, with the first producing the stronger shaking across surrounding communities.