A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan late Friday, killing at least 12 people and injuring four others in several provinces, according to multiple sources. The quake's epicenter was located in the Hindu Kush mountain range, approximately 90 miles east of Kunduz.
Key Takeaways
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan late Friday, killing at least 12 people and injuring four others across several provinces. The quake's epicenter was in the Hindu Kush mountain range, approximately 90 miles east of Kunduz.
- Earthquake kills 12, injures four in multiple Afghan provinces
- Refugee family recently returned from Iran among victims near Kabul
- Five homes destroyed and 33 significantly damaged across six provinces
- The region is seismically active with previous quakes causing significant casualties
The tremor caused significant damage across six provinces. In Kabul, a wall collapsed onto a tent housing an Afghan refugee family recently returned from Iran, killing eight members and injuring one child who survived per Los Angeles Times. The quake occurred at 8:42pm local time (16:12 GMT) with a depth of around 180 kilometers.
The earthquake was felt across a wide area, including Kabul and several cities in Pakistan such as Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, and Shangla. The Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority reported that five homes were destroyed and 33 significantly damaged, affecting 40 families in the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan per Los Angeles Times. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries closer to the epicenter due to its remote location.
Afghanistan's Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman stated that health authorities had been put on alert. The family near Kabul was among millions of Afghan refugees who have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan after crackdowns in 2023 per Los Angeles Times. They had arrived 15 days ago and were living in a tent on land next to a neighbor's home.
The region is known for its seismic activity, with previous earthquakes causing significant casualties. Last August, a magnitude 6 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed over 2,200 people according to Los Angeles Times. In November, another quake struck Samangan province, killing at least 27 people and injuring more than 950.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 4 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.