Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, June 27

A powerful earthquake struck northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday evening, sending strong tremors across large parts of northern India, including Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, although there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage in either country.

The earthquake, measured at magnitude 6.2, occurred at 7:04 p.m. IST and had its epicentre in northeastern Afghanistan, according to India’s National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The agency said the quake originated at a depth of about 215 km (134 miles), a factor that allowed seismic waves to travel over a wide area while reducing the likelihood of severe surface damage.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) located the epicentre about 43 km (27 miles) south of Jurm in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, a mountainous region near the Hindu Kush range that is among the world’s most seismically active zones.

Residents across Jammu and Kashmir rushed out of their homes and offices after feeling the tremors, with many describing the shaking as lasting several seconds.

“There was panic for a brief period, but no reports of any loss of life or damage to property have been received so far,” an official in Srinagar said.

Similar scenes were witnessed in Delhi and several cities across northern India, where office workers and residents evacuated buildings as a precaution.

In Chandigarh, residents reported feeling moderate tremors that prompted many people to gather in open spaces until the shaking subsided.

“I felt a jolt that lasted a few seconds,” said a resident of Sector 49 in Chandigarh. “People immediately came out of their homes because the tremors were quite noticeable.”

Authorities in Punjab, Haryana and the National Capital Region said they had not received reports of structural damage or casualties by late evening, while disaster management agencies continued to monitor the situation.

Earthquakes originating in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan are frequently felt across Pakistan, northern India and parts of Central Asia because of their considerable depth and the complex tectonic interaction between the Indian and Eurasian plates.

The Hindu Kush sits along one of the world’s most active seismic belts, where the northward movement of the Indian Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate generates frequent earthquakes, some exceeding magnitude 6.

While deep-focus earthquakes typically cause less destruction near the epicentre than shallower events, they can be felt across vast distances because seismic energy travels more efficiently through the Earth’s interior.

India’s National Centre for Seismology advised residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks, although none of significant magnitude had been reported immediately after the earthquake.

Disaster management authorities in both India and Afghanistan continued to assess the situation, with officials saying inspections would continue in areas where the tremors were most strongly felt.