KABUL(The COW News Digital) A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region late Saturday night, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 150, according to local authorities and international agencies. The tremors caused widespread panic as residents fled their homes in fear of collapsing buildings.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake’s epicentre was located about 22 kilometres southwest of Khulm district in Samangan province, at a depth of 28 kilometres. Strong tremors were felt in several major cities, including Mazar-i-Sharif, where frightened residents rushed into the streets as buildings shook violently.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes as people poured out of their homes shortly after midnight. “The ground started shaking so hard that people were screaming and running into open fields,” a resident of Mazar-i-Sharif told AFP. “Many feared their houses would collapse.”
Local officials confirmed that at least seven fatalities had been recorded so far, with rescue teams still searching through debris in remote villages. More than 150 people have been reported injured, many suffering from fractures and trauma caused by falling debris. The number of casualties is expected to rise as communication with isolated mountainous areas remains limited.
Several homes and buildings were reported damaged or destroyed in Samangan and neighbouring provinces. Emergency services and medical teams have been dispatched to the affected areas, while hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif and surrounding regions have been placed on high alert.
The quake was also felt across parts of Central Asia, including Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran, though no immediate damage was reported outside Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, located in a seismically active region where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet, frequently experiences earthquakes. Earlier this year, on August 31, a 6.0-magnitude quake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,000 people. In 2023, another series of 6.3-magnitude quakes and aftershocks in Herat province claimed at least 4,000 lives, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s recent history.
Authorities have urged residents to remain cautious, warning of possible aftershocks in the coming days. Relief agencies, including the Afghan Red Crescent and international humanitarian groups, are assessing damage and mobilizing aid to assist displaced families.
The disaster adds further strain to Afghanistan’s fragile infrastructure, already struggling under economic hardship and limited emergency response capacity.
