An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 struck Afghanistan late on Friday, as reported by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 10:55 pm (Indian Standard Time) at a depth of 10 kilometers. It was recorded 110 kilometers east of Kabul.
Sharing the details in a post on X, the NCS said, “EQ of M: 5.0, On: 05/09/2025 22:55:53 IST, Lat: 34.45 N, Long: 70.41 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan.”
Earlier, an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 struck Afghanistan on Friday. According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS stated, “EQ of M: 4.5, On: 05/09/2025 11:07:46 IST, Lat: 34.56 N, Long: 70.68 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan.”
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Five shallow aftershocks, the strongest measuring at magnitude 5.6, were recorded by the US Geological Survey, with some rattling Kabul and neighboring Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, AFP reported.
National disaster authority spokesman Mohammad Hammad told AFP that 10 people were injured across eight provinces jolted by the aftershocks, including the hardest hit Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman, adding to the more than 3,700 already injured in the initial quake.
Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.
Earlier in the day, three earthquakes occurred in the region.
Rescuers have recovered hundreds of bodies from mountainous areas of southeastern Afghanistan, which was hit by a major earthquake at the weekend, taking the death toll to more than 2,200, according to a Taliban government spokesperson, as per Al Jazeera.
Sunday’s quake was one of the deadliest in recent times due, in part, to how shallow it was, with its epicenter at a depth of about 8 km, as per Al Jazeera.
At least 3,640 people were injured in the magnitude 6 quake on Sunday and a subsequent magnitude 5.5 quake on Tuesday, the Taliban said, with the United Nations warning the death toll could rise as more people are still trapped under rubble, particularly in the worst-hit provinces of Kunar.
