Earthquake today: 5.8 magnitude tremors strike Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region, J&K, Delhi affected

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake has hit the border region between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Tremors were also felt in Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi.

The earthquake struck at a depth of 75km on Saturday, April 16, 2025, at 4:43 am in the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan, according to the National Center for Seismology. No casualties have been reported so far.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit Afghanistan. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake was at a depth of 121 km, stating that the epicentre was 164 km east of Baghlan, a city with a population of nearly 108,000.

Tremors were also felt in Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Regions such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lower Dir, Bajaur, Malakand, Nowshera, Dir Bala, Shabqadar, and Mohmand regions felt strong tremors, causing panic among residents, reported PTI.

Pakistan felt tremors for the second time this week after an earthquake of 5.5 magnitude in Islamabad and in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces last Saturday.

Afghanistan remains highly prone to natural disasters such as seasonal flooding, landslides and earthquakes, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Frequent earthquakes in Afghanistan have caused trouble to vulnerable communities in the conflict-driven region.

The reason for the strong earthquakes in the region is that the Hindu Kush Mountain range is a geologically active area where tremors are felt every year, according to a report by ANI citing Red Cross.

Afghanistan lies on several fault lines between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, one of which runs directly through Herat.

Earthquakes in the Himalayan region

The Himalayan region is prone to strong earthquakes. In the last 50 years, four devastating earthquakes with a magnitude of over 8.0 have hit the region, including the 1987 Shillong earthquake (8.7), the 1905 Kangra earthquake (8.0), the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake (8.3), and the 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake (8.6).