JAMMU: A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan on Friday evening, sending tremors across several parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the National Centre for Seismology, the quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres near the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border at around 5:45 p.m.
No immediate reports of damage, injuries, or casualties have been received so far. However, the tremors triggered panic among residents, with memories of last month’s devastating earthquake still fresh in people’s minds.
Last month’s catastrophic quake in Afghanistan had flattened entire villages, trapping people under the rubble of mud-brick and wooden houses that failed to withstand the powerful shock.
Afghanistan lies in one of the world’s most seismically active zones, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide. This geological activity causes the crust to fracture and deform, particularly in the Pamir–Hindu Kush region, which frequently experiences deep-focus earthquakes — some occurring as deep as 200 kilometres below the surface.
In contrast, quakes along the Sulaiman Range, spanning western Pakistan and southeastern Afghanistan, tend to be shallower, often resulting in greater surface destruction.