A powerful 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday, sending strong tremors through the capital, Kabul, and neighbouring Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake’s epicentre was located in northeastern Afghanistan at a depth of 208.3 kilometres, making it widely felt across several regions despite its deep origin.
Journalists in Kabul reported buildings shaking, with one describing a large crack appearing across an internal wall. The tremor was also felt in the Afghan provinces of Balkh, Badakhshan, Nangarhar and Khost, as well as in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage as authorities continued to assess the impact.
Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to earthquakes because it lies along the seismically active Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.
The latest tremor follows a series of deadly earthquakes in the country. In April, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Badakhshan province claimed 12 lives. In August 2025, a shallow 6.0-magnitude quake in eastern Afghanistan devastated mountainside villages, killing more than 2,200 people. Weeks later, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the north left at least 27 people dead.
Major earthquakes in western Herat in 2023 and eastern Nangarhar in 2022 also killed hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Afghanistan’s disaster response is often hampered by rugged terrain, poor infrastructure and weak communication networks, making it difficult for emergency teams to quickly reach remote communities.
The latest quake comes just days after twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on June 24, leaving at least 920 people dead.
