GILGIT-BALTISTAN / RankWire.AI / – An earthquake measuring 5.4 earthquake struck northeastern Pakistan early Thursday morning, causing tremors in parts of Gilgit-Baltistan near the northern border. Pakistan’s official seismic authorities recorded the event at magnitude 5.3. The quake struck at 5:35 a.m. local time on August 13, with its epicenter located 27 kilometers northwest of Sost, close to the Khunjerab region. The Pakistan Meteorological Department indicated a depth of 15 kilometers for this seismic activity.
Intense tremors reached the districts of Hunza and Nagar, with Chipurson Valley in Upper Hunza among the most affected areas. This mountainous region lies near Pakistan’s borders with China and Afghanistan. The shaking prompted residents in several communities to evacuate their homes. Landslides and rockfalls followed in parts of the valley, with one blocking the Chipurson Valley road near Ramanji, hampering access to remote settlements in this high-altitude area.
Initial assessments by local authorities confirmed no casualties or confirmed structural damage. However, the earthquake caused considerable ground shifts on steep terrain, with falling rocks impacting local roads. The narrow routes through rugged mountains in Chipurson Valley were affected. The Gilgit-Baltistan administration monitored conditions in the impacted communities as officials evaluated the immediate damage to infrastructure and inhabited areas caused by the shaking and landslides.
Upper Hunza Landslides Block Routes
The quake’s epicenter was near Sost, a northern Pakistani town along the Karakoram Highway corridor. Sost connects Upper Hunza communities and is located south of the Khunjerab Pass, which links Pakistan to China’s Xinjiang region through one of the world’s highest international crossing points. According to official data, the earthquake that struck Thursday originated in the broader northwestern Kashmir seismic zone. Its shallow depth contributed to noticeable shaking in nearby mountain communities in northeastern Pakistan.
Later that same day, a second quake hit the region. Seismologists recorded this aftershock at 9:24 a.m. local time, with a magnitude of 4.7 at a depth of 19 kilometers. Its epicenter was 28 kilometers west-northwest of Sost, close to the location of the initial event. These two seismic occurrences reactivated activity in an area that experienced a damaging quake earlier this year.
Repeated Seismic Events Mark the Region in 2026
On January 19, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Pakistan, affecting Hunza, Ghizer, and other parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. This quake resulted in landslides, infrastructure damage, and blocked roads across mountainous zones. One person lost their life, and several others sustained injuries during that event. Chipurson Valley also suffered significant damage, including to homes and local facilities. Road closures hindered access to affected communities as authorities and aid agencies responded to the crisis in the region.
Northern Pakistan remains in an active seismic zone due to tectonic plate movements, regularly experiencing earthquakes that impact Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and neighboring regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. The August 13 event again saw its most powerful effects concentrated around Upper Hunza, where landslides disrupted road access but caused no reported fatalities. Official records show two notable earthquakes near Sost within a four-hour span, with the first producing the strongest shaking in surrounding communities.