Earthquakes have frequently rattled Afghanistan, Pakistan in recent years

Record shows seismic activity in neighbouring countries lying at intersection of Indian, Eurasian tectonic plates

By
Reuters
|
Afghan men search for their belongings amidst the rubble of a collapsed house after a deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan around midnight, in Dara Mazar, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, September 1, 2025. — Reuters
Afghan men search for their belongings amidst the rubble of a collapsed house after a deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan around midnight, in Dara Mazar, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, September 1, 2025. — Reuters

More than 800 people are dead and over 2,500 injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6 struck the rugged eastern region of Afghanistan, the region's latest instance of increased seismic activity.

Here are previous such disasters of recent years in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region which lies at the intersection of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

2025

  • A magnitude 5.6 quake hit Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region on August 27.
  • A magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region on August 19, at a depth of 186 km (115 miles).
  • A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck central Pakistan on June 29, with its epicentre at a depth of 149 km (93 miles).
  • A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Pakistan on May 10, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
  • Quakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.8 hit the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan-Tajikistan border regions, on April 16 and 19, respectively.
  • A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Pakistan on April 12, at a depth of 39 km (25 miles).
  • Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi has been hit by several moderate or minor tremors in March and June.

2024

  • A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on October 17.
  • An earthquake of magnitude 5.75 struck Pakistan at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) on September 11.
  • Earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and 5.8 struck Pakistan between March 19 and March 20.
  • An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 hit northwestern Kashmir on February 19.
  • A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on January 11.
  • A magnitude 5 earthquake hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on January 5.

2023

  • An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on November 15.
  • Many died as multiple earthquakes rattled Afghanistan in October.
  • On August 6, an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.
  • Earthquakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.7 hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on May 3 and on August 5, respectively.
  • An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit northern Afghanistan in late March, killing at least 13.
  • A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on January 5.

2022

  • An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit southeastern Afghanistan on December 16.
  • Over September 5 and 6, at least two earthquakes struck Afghanistan, with one killing at least eight.
  • A magnitude 5.6 quake struck Pakistan's southwestern region on August 1.
  • A magnitude 6 earthquake in Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people in June.
  • A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on February 5.
  • An earthquake of magnitude 5.6, at a depth of 30 km (19 miles), hit western Afghanistan on January 17.

2021

  • At least 15 people were killed after an earthquake struck southern Pakistan on October 7.
  • A magnitude 4.6 earthquake, at a depth of 17.6 km (11 miles), shook Afghanistan on May 19.