ISLAMABAD, Dec. 2-- A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit parts of Pakistan on Saturday afternoon, local meteorological office reported.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department, unofficial known as Pakistan Met Office, said a statement that the quake's epicenter was determined at Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountain range with a focal depth of 175 km.

Director general of the office, Ghulam Rasool, said that the quake's radius was 278 km and several mild to strong earthquakes are likely to hit the country in the coming few days.

He explained that the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, which lie near the Hindu Kush mountain range, are currently active and likely to cause earthquakes.

When the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates interact with each other, they release energy that causes seismic waves, Rasool added.

Saturday afternoon' s tremors were felt in capital Islamabad and parts of east Punjab and northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The tremblor created panic among people, but no loss of life or property has been reported yet.

This was the third earthquake measuring over 5 magnitude that hit Pakistan over the past week.

A 6.9-magnitude quake which struck on Dec. 26 left two people dead and over 60 others injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.