Daijiworld Media Network- Kabul

Kabul, Apr 16: An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude struck the Hindu Kush region of northeastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Wednesday, sparking concerns in one of the world’s most seismically active zones. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) confirmed the tremor occurred at 4:43 a.m. IST.

According to the NCS, the quake's epicentre was pinpointed at latitude 35.83°N and longitude 70.60°E, at a depth of 75 kilometres beneath the surface. The agency shared the seismic data on X (formerly Twitter), noting the location as the Hindu Kush range.

As of now, there have been no immediate reports of casualties or infrastructure damage. However, authorities and humanitarian organisations are actively monitoring the situation given the region’s history of devastating quakes.

The Hindu Kush mountains form part of a seismically sensitive belt where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide. This geological setting makes Afghanistan highly prone to frequent and sometimes deadly tremors.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has long highlighted Afghanistan’s vulnerability to natural disasters. In a country already grappling with decades of conflict and fragile infrastructure, such natural calamities often carry disproportionate consequences.

Humanitarian agencies, including the Red Cross, reiterated that powerful earthquakes are not uncommon in Afghanistan, particularly in areas like the Hindu Kush and Herat province. These zones lie along critical fault lines where even moderate tremors can trigger significant human and material losses.

A somber reminder of this came in October 2023, when a series of 6.3-magnitude quakes devastated the western province of Herat, claiming over 1,000 lives and displacing thousands. That tragedy exposed the urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness and long-term resilience planning across Afghanistan's quake-prone regions.