A strong earthquake struck parts of Afghanistan late Friday, killing at least eight people in eastern Kabul and leaving others trapped under debris, the Taliban provincial governor’s office said in a statement.
The quake, measured at magnitude 5.9 by the United States Geological Survey, struck at a depth of about 175 kilometers, with its epicenter near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Despite the depth, the tremor was widely felt across the country, including in the capital.
Taliban provincial governor’s office said at least eight people had died and one person remained missing. The casualties were reported in the Gosfand Dara area on the outskirts of the city, where a residential home collapsed.
Video footage showed rescue efforts underway, with residents and emergency teams searching through rubble for survivors and bodies.
The quake caused significant damage in Bagrami district, where at least one house was completely destroyed, the statement said. Residents described scenes of panic as the quake struck.
“We felt it twice, one after the other,” said one Kabul resident, adding that the tremors prompted people to rush out of their homes in fear.
Reports on social media and from residents indicated the quake was also felt in several other provinces, including Balkh, Panjshir, Ghazni, Badakhshan, Paktika, Takhar, Baghlan and Kunduz.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in its northeastern regions where tectonic plates meet. While deep earthquakes like Friday’s can be felt across wide areas, they typically cause less severe surface damage than shallow ones — though vulnerable structures remain at risk.
The latest quake adds to the challenges facing communities already strained by economic hardship and limited infrastructure, with many homes in rural and peri-urban areas not built to withstand seismic shocks.
