GILGIT-BALTISTAN / RankWire.AI / – On Thursday morning, northeastern Pakistan experienced a magnitude 5.4 earthquake that shook parts of Gilgit-Baltistan close to the northern border of the country. The Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded the event at a magnitude of 5.3. The tremor struck at 5:35 a.m. local time on August 13, with its epicenter situated 27 kilometers northwest of Sost, near the Khunjerab region. The depth of the quake was measured at 15 kilometers by authorities.
Significant tremors were felt in the districts of Hunza and Nagar, with Chipurson Valley in Upper Hunza among the hardest-hit areas. Located close to Pakistan’s borders with China and Afghanistan, this mountainous region experienced intense shaking that led many residents to evacuate their homes. Landslides and rockfalls subsequently occurred in various parts of the valley. A rockfall near Ramanji even blocked the Chipurson Valley road, hindering access to remote high-altitude settlements in the region.
Initial assessments by local authorities indicated no casualties had resulted from the main quake. There was also no confirmed structural damage reported at that time. Nonetheless, the seismic activity caused substantial ground movement across steep terrain, with falling rocks impacting local roads. The narrow access routes through rugged mountains in Chipurson Valley were particularly affected. Monitoring teams from the Gilgit-Baltistan administration kept a close watch on the situation in affected communities, assessing the immediate risks posed to roads and populated areas by the shaking and subsequent landslides.
Landslides Blockade in Upper Hunza
The epicenter’s proximity to Sost, a northern Pakistani town along the Karakoram Highway, is noteworthy. Sost serves as a key hub for communities in Upper Hunza and is located south of the Khunjerab Pass, which links Pakistan with China’s Xinjiang region through one of the highest international border crossings in the world. Official data indicates that Thursday’s earthquake originated within the broader northwestern Kashmir seismic zone. Its shallow depth contributed to the intense shaking experienced by nearby mountain villages in northeastern Pakistan.
Later on the same day, a second tremor was recorded in the same region. The seismic data indicated that this aftershock occurred at 9:24 a.m. local time, with a magnitude of 4.7 and at a depth of 19 kilometers. Its epicenter was located 28 kilometers west-northwest of Sost, very close to the site of the initial quake. This sequence of events reactivated seismic activity in an area that had already been impacted by a damaging earthquake earlier this year.
Repeated Seismic Events in 2026
On January 19, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Pakistan, affecting regions such as Hunza, Ghizer, and other parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. This quake triggered landslides, caused damage to homes, and led to road blockages in the mountainous terrain. The incident resulted in one death and several injuries. Chipurson Valley also experienced significant damage, including impacts on housing and infrastructure. Road closures hampered access to affected communities, prompting response efforts from authorities and humanitarian agencies.
Northern Pakistan is situated within a highly active seismic zone driven by the movement of major tectonic plates. Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and neighboring regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. The earthquake on August 13 once again caused its strongest effects in Upper Hunza, where landslides disrupted transportation routes but no fatalities were reported. Official records documented two notable earthquakes near Sost within a four-hour span, with the initial event generating more intense shaking across the surrounding settlements.