5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Afghanistan, Tremors Felt in Kashmir, Delhi-NCR

Kabul: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Afghanistan on Saturday at around 12:17 pm IST, as reported by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). While the epicentre was in Afghanistan, the tremors were felt across northern India, including Jammu and Kashmir and the Delhi-NCR region.

The NCS confirmed the earthquake's epicentre was located at coordinates 36.10°N latitude and 71.20°E longitude, with a depth of 130 kilometres beneath the Earth's surface. The NCS shared the details of the quake on X (formerly Twitter), stating: "EQ of M: 5.8, On: 19/04/2025 12:17:53 IST, Lat: 36.10 N, Long: 71.20 E, Depth: 130 Km, Location: Afghanistan."

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Tremors were also felt in various parts of North India, including the Delhi-NCR region, Jammu & Kashmir and in northwest Pakistan . In several areas, residents evacuated buildings as a precaution, though there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan also experienced seismic activity, with the National Seismic Monitoring Centre reporting a 5.9 magnitude earthquake at 11:47 AM (local time). The epicentre was near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border at a depth of 94 kilometres.

Also read | Massive Earthquake of 5.8 Magnitude Strikes Pakistan

The tremors were widely felt across Pakistan, particularly in Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, and several regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Lower Dir, Bajaur, Malakand, Nowshera, Dir Bala, Shabqadar, and Mohmand, leading to panic among residents. However, no casualties or property damage have been reported.

This marks the second earthquake in the region within a week.

Last Saturday, a 5.5 magnitude quake hit parts of Pakistan’s capital and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to seismic activity, with the 2005 earthquake being the deadliest in recent memory, claiming over 74,000 lives.