E-Paper
5.8 magnitude earthquake jolts Afghanistan, tremors felt in J&K, Delhi-NCR
Earthquake today: The quake was at a depth of 130 km. No immediate reports of any damage have emerged.
Earthquake today: An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck Afghanistan on Saturday afternoon, triggering tremors across Pakistan and northern India.
The tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and parts of the Delhi-NCR region. In Pakistan, the earthquake jolted Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
The National Center for Seismology said that the earthquake in Afghanistan struck at a depth of 130 km. No immediate reports of any damage have emerged.
“EQ of M: 5.8, On: 19/04/2025 12:17:53 IST, Lat: 36.10 N, Long: 71.20 E, Depth: 130 Km, Location: Afghanistan,” the National Center for Seismology posted on X.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the earthquake struck areas around the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.
"...I felt the tremor. I was in the office when my chair shook..." a local in Srinagar told ANI.
Earlier today, an earthquake of magnitude 2.9 hit Assam's Nagaon at 7.38am. The quake was at a depth of 10 km, according to the National Center for Seismology.
In February, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck Delhi early on a Monday morning, sending panic-stricken residents into the streets.
The tremor, which hit at 5.36am with its epicentre in Dhaula Kuan in southwest Delhi, lasted only a few seconds but was felt sharply across the National Capital Region (NCR) due to its shallow depth of 5 km.
Residents had reported hearing loud noises before and during the earthquake.
Delhi region prone to earthquakes
Delhi, which lies in seismic zone 4 — categorised as a high damage risk zone — faces significant structural vulnerabilities. Municipal officials report that more than 60% of the city’s buildings are over two decades old, with over 75% of construction in corporation areas failing to comply with building regulations, including the more than 1,799 unauthorised colonies
Several weak zones and fault lines surround Delhi, including the Mathura Fault and the Sohna Fault, making the region particularly susceptible to seismic activity. A larger threat still is posed by Delhi’s proximity to the Himalayas, a mountain range caused by one of the largest tectonic plate collisions in the planet over millions of years, a crush that continues even today, potentially building geologic pressure.
Experts stress that while earthquakes cannot be predicted, the city must focus on preparedness and structural resilience to minimise potential damage from future tremors.
