An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 rattled parts of northern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late Friday, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people, officials reported. The quake was centered in the Hindu Kush mountain range, approximately 150 kilometers east of the Afghan city of Kunduz, and was felt across Afghanistan, as well as in parts of Pakistan and India.

Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesperson for the Kabul governor, stated that eight members of a family were killed and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the outskirts of Kabul. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 177 kilometers (110 miles).

Authorities indicated that a comprehensive assessment of damage could be delayed due to the remoteness of the earthquake's epicenter. Health officials across Afghanistan were placed on alert. In Pakistan, tremors were felt in cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. In India, local media reports noted that Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kargil also experienced the tremors.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes. Last August, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan's mountainous Kunar province killed more than 2,200 people and injured thousands more. In October 2023, a 6.3 magnitude quake near Herat city in western Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.

Source: www.dw.com