At least 20 people killed as powerful quake hits north Afghanistan
A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late last night, shaking the mountainous region near the border with Pakistan. Tremors were felt in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province, around midnight local time.
While details on casualties or damage are still emerging, the quake has raised concerns in a country already prone to devastating seismic activity.
In October 2023, a major earthquake in Herat Province, in western Afghanistan, killed at least 2,400 people, underscoring the region’s vulnerability to such natural disasters.
Afghanistan lies along the Hindu Kush mountain range, a seismically active zone where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates converge. Earthquakes are frequent in the area, often resulting in significant loss of life and damage to infrastructure.