KABUL: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, with AFP journalists in the capital Kabul and elsewhere reporting strong shaking. The quake was widely felt by AFP journalists across multiple Afghan provinces, as well as in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The USGS recorded the epicentre in northeastern Afghanistan at a depth of 208.3 kilometres (129.4 miles). Buildings rattled in Kabul, with one AFP journalist reporting a large crack stretching across an internal wall. Journalists also felt the quake in Balkh and Badakhshan provinces, which border multiple countries including Tajikistan and Pakistan. To the east, it was felt in provinces including Nangarhar and Khost. Details on casualties and damage were not immediately available. Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet. In April, a 5.8-magnitude quake in Badakhshan province killed 12 people and shook many parts of the country. In August 2025, a shallow 6.0-magnitude quake in the country&#39;s east wiped out mountainside villages and killed more than 2,200 people. Weeks later, a 6.3-magnitude quake in northern Afghanistan killed at least 27 people. Large tremors in western Herat, near the Iranian border, in 2023 and in eastern Nangarhar province in 2022 killed hundreds and destroyed thousands of homes. Many homes in the predominantly rural country, devastated by decades of war, are shoddily built. Poor communication networks and infrastructure in mountainous Afghanistan have hampered disaster responses in the past, preventing authorities for hours or even days from reaching far-flung villages to assess the extent of the damage.

Climate

Natural Disaster

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake strikes northeastern Afghanistan, shaking Kabul, several provinces and Pakistan's capital Islamabad, damaging buildings but causing no immediately reported casualties, as authorities assess the impact in the quake-prone region.

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Magnitude 6.1 quake hits Afghanistan: US Geological Survey

Magnitude 6.1 quake hits Afghanistan: US Geological Survey