At least 10 people died and 150 were injured as a massive earthquake of 6.3-magnitude shook northern Afghanistan on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey. The USGS further said that the quake's epicentre was located 22 km west-southwest of Khulm, Afghanistan, and had a depth of 28 km. It struck at 12:59 am Monday local time.
Another earthquake reported last week
Just last week, another earthquake of magnitude 4.3 struck Afghanistan, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. The earthquake was reported at a depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.3, On: 29/10/2025 14:43:24 IST, Lat: 37.33 N, Long: 69.93 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan."
Earlier on October 24, another earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck Afghanistan in the early hours at a depth of 80km. The NCS wrote on X, "EQ of M: 3.7, On: 24/10/2025 06:09:41 IST, Lat: 36.38 N, Long: 71.14 E, Depth: 80 Km, Location: Afghanistan."
It should be noted that a magnitude 6.0 earthquake on Aug 31, 2025 in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border killed more than 2,200 people.
Prior to that another earthquake of 6.3 magnitude on October 7, 2023 followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.
Why is Afghanistan prone to earthquakes?
Experts believe that Afghanistan is highly susceptible to earthquakes and tremors because it sits in one of the world’s most active seismic zones, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. The massive pressure from this collision causes the Earth's crust to crack and fold. In the Hindu Kush mountains, this process pushes parts of the lithosphere deep into the mantle. Notably, the Pamir-Hindu Kush region in northern Afghanistan often experiences strong earthquakes, some occurring at depths of up to 200 kilometres - a phenomenon that is rare worldwide.
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