2 weeks Ago
Kabul: In the early hours of Wednesday, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The tremor occurred at 04.
43 a.m. IST (local time), with the epicentre located at latitude 35.
83 degrees North and longitude 70.60 degrees East, at a depth of 75 kilometres. The NCS shared the details on X, stating: "EQ of M: 5.
9, On: 16/04/2025 04:43:58 IST, Lat: 35.83 N, Long: 70.60 E, Depth: 75 Km, Location: Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.
" There are no immediate reports of casualties or structural damage, but authorities and humanitarian agencies are closely monitoring the situation. The Hindu Kush mountain range, which stretches across northeastern Afghanistan, is part of a highly seismically active zone where earthquakes are frequent due to the region’s complex tectonic setting. Afghanistan lies along the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which makes it especially prone to seismic activity.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reiterated the country’s extreme vulnerability to natural disasters, noting that frequent earthquakes disproportionately impact communities already weakened by decades of conflict and chronic under-development. According to the Red Cross, powerful earthquakes are an annual occurrence in Afghanistan, particularly in geologically volatile areas such as the Hindu Kush. The western province of Herat also sits on a significant fault line, further adding to the country’s seismic risk profile.
In October 2023, a series of powerful earthquakes, including one measuring 6.3 magnitude, devastated western Afghanistan, particularly Herat, killing over 1,000 people and displacing thousands more. That tragedy underscored the pressing need for strengthened disaster response systems and long-term resilience planning across the region.
Earthquake of magnitude 2.4 hits Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir An earthquake of magnitude 2.4 struck the Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday early morning, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported.
As per the post shared by NCS on X, the earthquake occurred at around 5:14 am Indian Standard Time (IST), at Latitude 33.18 N and Longitude 75.89 E.
The depth of the earthquake has been reported to be 5 km. "EQ of M: 2.4, On: 16/04/2025 05:14:52 IST, Lat: 33.
18 N, Long: 75.89 E, Depth: 5 Km, Location: Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir," read the X post by NCS. As per the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including seasonal flooding, landslides and earthquakes.
These frequent earthquakes in Afghanistan cause damage to vulnerable communities, which are already grappling with decades of conflict and under-development and have left them with little resilience to cope with multiple simultaneous shocks, UNOCHA noted. Afghanistan has a history of powerful earthquakes, and the Hindu Kush Mountain range is a geologically active area where quakes occur every year, according to the Red Cross. The country sits on numerous fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates, with a fault line also running directly through Herat.
Earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolts Tibet An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 on the Richter Scale struck Tibet on Wednesday at 3:50 am (IST), the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said on Wednesday.
According to NCS, the earthquake struck at a depth of 26 kilometres. The NCS said that the earthquake occurred at latitude 27.87 N and longitude 87.
65 E. In a post on X, the NCS stated, "EQ of M: 4.2, On: 16/04/2025 03:50:33 IST, Lat: 27.
87 N, Long: 87.65 E, Depth: 26 Km, Location: Tibet." Earlier on Tuesday, an earthquake of magnitude 3.
5 on the Richter Scale struck Tibet at 11:01 am (IST), a statement by the NCS said. As per the NCS, the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 3.
5, On: 15/04/2025 11:01:56 IST, Lat: 28.90 N, Long: 87.67 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Tibet.
" Earlier on late Monday night, another earthquake of magnitude 4.1 on the Richter Scale struck Tibet at a shallow depth of 10km. "EQ of M: 4.
1, On: 14/04/2025 21:48:42 IST, Lat: 31.56 N, Long: 93.40 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Tibet," NCS posted on X.
5.6 magnitude quake rattles southern Philippines A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The quake off the coast of the island of Mindanao had a depth of 30 kilometres (18.6 miles), the USGS added. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology placed the epicentre about 43 kilometres southwest of the town of Maitum, located in a mountainous and sparsely populated area.
Local authorities told AFP early indications were that the quake had caused no significant damage. "It was strong but didn't last long. We have checked but it was negative (for damage or casualties)," said Gilbert Rolifor, a fire department official in Maitum.
Quakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. Most are too weak to be felt by humans, but strong and destructive quakes come at random with no technology available to predict when and where they will happen..
