6.2 Magnitude Quake Hits Afghanistan

 Tremors Felt in J&K

Report Y-Trendz

New Delhi — A powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region on Saturday evening, sending tremors across a wide swathe of northern India, including

Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The quake triggered brief panic in several cities as residents rushed out of homes and offices, though no casualties or major damage have been reported so far.

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the government's nodal agency for tracking seismic activity, the earthquake struck at 7:04 pm IST, with its epicentre located deep within Afghanistan at a depth of 215 kilometres. In a post on social media, the NCS shared precise coordinates of the quake, placing it at latitude 36.442°N and longitude 70.672°E. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) pinpointed the epicentre roughly 43 kilometres south of the town of Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan, an area located within the seismically volatile Hindu Kush mountain range.

Tremors Felt Across the Region

In Afghanistan itself, tremors were reported in the capital Kabul as well as the eastern provinces of Khost and Nangarhar. Across the border in Pakistan, shaking was felt as far as Islamabad. In India, the impact extended well into the northern plains, with strong tremors experienced in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and several neighbouring states.

In Jammu and Kashmir — which falls within Seismic Zone V, the country's highest-risk earthquake zone — residents described moments of alarm as buildings shook and people rushed outdoors. One local resident recounted that he had been sitting on a chair inside his house when the quake struck, describing how the chair itself shook, though he confirmed there was no damage in his area. Similar scenes played out in Chandigarh, where residents in several localities stepped outside their homes as a precaution, though authorities there also reported no damage.

In Delhi-NCR, mild but noticeable tremors were felt across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, with several residents in high-rise buildings reporting perceptible shaking. Many took to social media to share their experiences as buildings swayed briefly. Authorities urged residents across the region to remain calm, noting that no immediate threat had been identified.

Why the Quake Was Felt So Widely

Experts note that the Hindu Kush region is one of the most seismically active zones in the world, a product of the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Because Saturday's earthquake was a deep-focus event — occurring 215 kilometres below the surface — its energy dissipated over a wider area by the time it reached the surface, which typically reduces the likelihood of severe structural damage even as the shaking is felt across a broad geographic radius, sometimes hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre.

Officials also confirmed that no tsunami alert was issued in connection with the earthquake, since it occurred well inland and posed no threat to coastal areas. Delhi-NCR, for its part, falls under Seismic Zone IV on India's earthquake zoning map, making it moderately vulnerable to quakes — whether originating from nearby Himalayan fault systems or, as in this case, from tremors radiating outward from Afghanistan.

No Casualties Reported, Authorities Monitoring

As of the latest updates, there have been no reports of loss of life or significant property damage in India, Pakistan or Afghanistan as a result of Saturday's quake. Disaster management authorities said they were continuing to monitor the situation closely, while reiterating standard earthquake safety advisories for residents in seismically sensitive zones such as Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi-NCR.

Comes Amid Global Seismic Activity

The Afghanistan earthquake follows closely on the heels of a far deadlier disaster in Venezuela, where twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude struck within a minute of each other just days earlier, flattening buildings across the South American country. That disaster has left more than 900 people dead, with United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher stating that over 50,000 people remained missing in its aftermath — underscoring the scale of destruction such quakes can cause when they strike at shallower depths or closer to densely populated areas.

Authorities in India have advised residents in earthquake-prone regions to stay familiar with basic safety protocols, including identifying safe spots within buildings and having emergency plans in place, given the region's continued exposure to seismic activity originating from the wider Hindu Kush-Himalayan belt.