A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan on Saturday evening, sending tremors across parts of Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and the Delhi-NCR region.
According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred at 7.04 pm IST. The epicentre was located in Afghanistan at a depth of 215 kilometres.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was centred about 43 kilometres south of Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
In Chandigarh, residents in several places stepped out of their homes after feeling tremors. However, there were no reports of any damage.
"I felt a jolt which lasted a few seconds," said a resident of Sector 49 in Chandigarh to PTI.
The tremors sparked panic among residents of the Valley, but there are no reports of loss of life or damage to property so far, officials said.
In Kabul, buildings shook as residents rushed outdoors. One AFP journalist reported a large crack stretching across an internal wall.
Tremors were also felt in Balkh and Badakhshan provinces, which border several countries, including Tajikistan and Pakistan. The quake was also felt in eastern provinces such as Nangarhar and Khost.
Afghanistan is highly prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates converge.
The latest tremor comes months after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Badakhshan province killed 12 people in April.
In August 2025, a shallow 6.0-magnitude quake in eastern Afghanistan devastated mountainside villages, claiming more than 2,200 lives.
Pakistan's Balochistan hit by five quakes since Friday
Meanwhile, Pakistan's southeastern province of Balochistan has been rattled by at least five moderate-intensity earthquakes since Friday, with the latest tremor striking Barkhan and adjoining areas on Saturday morning.
Authorities said five people were injured and several houses were damaged in the series of earthquakes, which ranged in magnitude from 4.3 to 5.3.
Pakistan Meteorological Department Chief Meteorologist Ameer Haider Leghari said the tremors occurred along a fault line and could be linked to seismic activity elsewhere in the world.
Twin earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 hit Venezuela on June 25, killing at least 920 people, leaving more than 51,000 missing and causing widespread destruction.
"The massive earthquake in Venezuela could have created the release of energy to other fault lines and because Balochistan is on a fault line, there could be more jolts," Leghari said.
The earthquakes were felt in remote parts of the province, including Rakhni, Kohlu, Musakhail, Kingri and Barkhan.
According to data from the United States Geological Survey, the first quake struck Rakhni at 8.06 am on Friday. Several aftershocks followed, with the latest earthquake in Barkhan measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale.
(With inputs from PTI, AFP)
