Afghanistan Gets Hit With Deadly Earthquake Again; 20 deaths

Just one day after smaller magnitude earthquakes were recorded in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, a major magnitude 6.3 earthquake rocked the area on Sunday. The earthquake occurred months after the magnitude 6 earthquake that killed at least 800 people and injured many more.

The US Geological Survey reports that the earthquakes struck Northern Afghanistan at a depth of 28 km. The Epicenter was close to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, 22 km west-southwest of Khulm. According to BNO news, the earthquakes started at 12:59 a.m. on Monday and were felt as far away as Islamabad, Pakistan, Mashhad, Iran, and Kabul, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Earthquake

Parts of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, three Nations that border Northern Afghanistan, also reportedly felt the earthquake, according to a CNN report. The USG PAGER system, which forecasts economic and human loss following earthquakes, then issued an orange alert.

“The calamities have the potential to be widespread, and significant casualties are likely. This alert level has previously necessitated reaction at the regional and national level,” it stated. Afghanistan was vulnerable to aftershocks from a magnitude 3.9 earthquake that occurred earlier in the day at a shallow depth of 10 km. The NCS stated in an X post, “EQ of M: 3.9, On: 02/11/2025 20:40:52 IST, Lat: 36.50 N, Long: 71.08 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan.”

Recent Deadly Earthquakes

Afghanistan has had significant earthquakes recently. So it is no stranger to catastrophic seismic activity. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake that slammed the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan in August of this year resulted in at least 2200 fatalities and over 2800 injuries. On August 31st at 11:47 p.m. local time, an earthquake occurred in the Kunar province of Afghanistan.

2 years ago, in October 2023, four massive earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.3. The aftershocks struck close to the city of Herat. It caused exchange to destruction throughout Afghanistan. The 2023 earthquake is said to have still over 1000 people and injured over 2400 more