At least eight people were killed in Kabul after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck parts of northern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late on Friday, officials said.
The quake’s epicenter was in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometers east of the city of Kunduz, and its effects were felt across Afghanistan and into parts of Pakistan and India. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported the quake occurred at a depth of 177 kilometers (110 miles).
In Kabul, eight members of a single family died and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the city’s outskirts, Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesperson for the Kabul governor, said. Authorities warned that a full assessment of damage could be delayed because the epicenter is in a remote, mountainous area. Health officials across Afghanistan were placed on alert.
Tremors were reported in several Pakistani cities and districts, including Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said. Indian media reported that residents in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Kargil also felt the shaking.
Afghanistan is no stranger to deadly earthquakes. In August last year, a magnitude 6.0 quake in the mountainous Kunar province killed more than 2,200 people and injured thousands. In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake near Herat in western Afghanistan caused widespread fatalities.
The country’s rugged terrain and limited infrastructure complicate rescue and relief operations, and aid access is often a particular challenge for vulnerable groups, including women and children.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar