5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan: 8 Dead in Kabul, Massive Tremors Hit Delhi-NCR
New Delhi, April 4, 2026 — A powerful earthquake originating deep within the Hindu Kush mountain range sent shockwaves across three countries late Friday night, triggering widespread panic across North India and claiming lives in Afghanistan.
The 5.9-magnitude quake, which struck at approximately 9:50 PM IST on April 3, heavily rattled Afghanistan, Pakistan, and massive swathes of northern India, forcing terrified residents out of their homes and into the streets.
Tragedy in Kabul: 8 Reported Dead
While India escaped major damage, the epicenter’s proximity proved deadly for Afghanistan. According to Afghan authorities and the spokesperson for Kabul’s governor, at least eight people have tragically lost their lives, and a child was severely injured following a house collapse in the capital city of Kabul.
Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesman, Sharafat Zaman, confirmed that hospitals and provincial health authorities have been placed on high alert as rescue teams navigate the difficult terrain. Impoverished and highly seismically active, Afghanistan’s rural regions—where mud-brick and wood houses are common—remain incredibly vulnerable to such disasters.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter was located in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, roughly 150 kilometers east of Kunduz. The quake originated at a significant depth of over 150 kilometers, which explains why the shockwaves traveled so far across the subcontinent.
Panic Across Delhi-NCR and North India
In India, the tremors triggered immediate alarm. Residents in high-rise buildings across Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram reported their furniture shaking, ceiling fans swinging, and a terrifying few seconds of swaying architecture. The situation in the capital was made even more chaotic as the sudden earthquake coincided with unexpected nighttime rain.
“I felt a strong jolt which lasted for a few seconds. The intensity was so high that fans and beds began to shake,” shared one panicked resident on social media platform X.
Beyond the NCR, the earthquake’s reach was vast. Strong tremors were explicitly felt across Punjab (including Ludhiana and Chandigarh), Uttarakhand (Dehradun), and heavily throughout Jammu & Kashmir, with reports pouring in from Srinagar, Poonch, and Udhampur. “I’ve never felt tremors this strong before,” noted a resident from Kashmir.
Pakistan Also Shaken
The seismic waves also swept through neighboring Pakistan. The Pakistan Meteorological Department confirmed that the jolts were heavily felt in the capital, Islamabad, as well as in Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, Shangla, and various parts of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
While no major casualties have been reported from India or Pakistan at this time, local disaster management authorities continue to monitor the situation closely for any potential aftershocks.