An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit Afghanistan on Friday evening. As per the information, the quake occurred 46 km South East of Khandud.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit Afghanistan on Friday evening. As per the information, the quake occurred 46 km southeast of Khandudย near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border at around 5:45 pmย with its epicentre at a depth of 10 kilometres.ย According to initial reports,ย there were no immediate cases of injuries,ย casualties, or damage to property. However,ย panic spread among residents as memories of last month’s devastating quake are still fresh in their minds.
On September 4, southeastern Afghanistan was rocked by a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquakeย — the third to hit the same region within four days. That catastrophic event claimed over 2,200 lives, flattening entire villages and trapping people beneath the rubble of mud and wood homes that could not withstand the intense tremors.
UN issues emergency funding appeal
On September 9, the United Nations had issued an emergency appeal for nearly USD 140 million in desperately needed funding to help nearly half a million people affected by the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan. The UN said in a statement Tuesday that the USD 139.6 million, four-month emergency response plan would allow humanitarian organisations to help the 457,000 people who have been affected in the provinces of Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar.
Why is Afghanistan earthquake prone?ย
It is to be noted here that Afghanistan is highly susceptible to earthquakes and tremors because it sits in one of the worldโs most active seismic zones, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. The immense 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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