Afghanistan's 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Felt Across Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana and Kashmir

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday evening, sending strong tremors across northern India , including Delhi NCR , Jammu and Kashmir , Chandigarh , Punjab , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , and Uttarakhand . Despite widespread panic, no casualties or structural damage were reported.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said the earthquake occurred at 7:04 pm IST at a depth of 215 kilometres , with its epicentre at 36.442°N, 70.672°E in Afghanistan. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) located the epicenter 43 kilometres south of Jurm in Badakhshan province .

Although a 6.2 magnitude earthquake is considered strong enough to cause significant damage, the quake's deep focal depth reduced its surface impact as much of the energy dissipated before reaching the ground. However, the tremors travelled across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan .

Residents reported shaking in Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Ludhiana, Noida, Srinagar, Udhampur, Dehradun , and New Delhi , where people rushed outdoors. In Jammu and Kashmir , a Seismic Zone V region, residents also fled buildings. Local resident Imtiyaz Ahmed said his chair shook, though no damage was reported.

The tremors were also felt in Kabul and across Pakistan , including Swat, Islamabad, Hangu, North Waziristan, Chitral , and Rawalpindi , where residents described prolonged shaking.

Afghanistan's disaster management authority reported no immediate casualties or damage , while monitoring continued. The Red Cross noted Afghanistan is among the world's most earthquake prone countries due to the collision of the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate , with earthquakes killing an average of 560 people annually .

The quake highlighted the vulnerability of Chandigarh and northern Punjab , which lie in Seismic Zone IV , reinforcing the need for earthquake resistant construction . It was the second significant Hindu Kush earthquake to affect northern India in under a month, following a 5.9 magnitude quake on June 5 . It also came during a week of heightened global seismic activity, including earthquakes in Pakistan , Japan , and Venezuela .