6.2-magnitude Afghan earthquake rattles Tricity, north India

A powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday evening, sending tremors rippling across Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Ludhiana and large parts of Punjab and Haryana, triggering widespread panic but no reported casualties or structural damage.

The quake struck at 7.04 pm IST, with its epicentre at a depth of 215 km, according to the National Centre for Seismology.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) placed the epicentre 43 km south of Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan.

Tremors were felt across Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Ludhiana, Noida, Srinagar, Udhampur and Dehradun, among other places.

Residents of high-rise towers in Chandigarh’s sectors and adjoining areas of Mohali reported perceptible shaking lasting several seconds, with light fixtures swaying and household objects rattling. People rushed out of buildings in panic.

Till the filing of this report, no casualties or structural damage had been reported from Chandigarh, Mohali or Panchkula. Emergency services were placed on alert and authorities maintained a close watch on the situation.

Residents have been advised to remain calm, avoid lifts and move to open spaces in the event of subsequent tremors.

Second major Afghan tremor in weeks

Saturday’s earthquake is the second significant seismic event originating from the Hindu Kush region to rattle the Tricity in less than a month.

On June 5, a 5.9-magnitude quake with its epicentre near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border had triggered widespread panic across the region, with residents — particularly those living in high-rise apartments — abandoning their homes and gathering on streets and open grounds.

Saturday’s event was of higher magnitude, though its significantly greater focal depth cushioned the surface impact.

The large depth of 215 km reduced the intensity of shaking at the surface, but tremors were still strongly felt across several regions in northern India, including parts of Delhi-NCR, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Haryana.

Why the Hindu Kush keeps shaking north India

The earthquake originated in Afghanistan’s mountainous Hindu Kush region, an area known for frequent deep-focus earthquakes.

Afghanistan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, lying at the convergence of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. This generates immense geological pressure and numerous fault systems, particularly in the Hindu Kush and Herat regions.

Deep-focus earthquakes from this zone are a recurring feature of the north Indian seismic landscape. Their energy travels vast distances with attenuated but perceptible impact — enough to unsettle populations across Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and the NCR without causing major surface damage near the epicentre.

Chandigarh and the Tricity lie in a zone of elevated seismic sensitivity. Chandigarh and north Punjab fall within Seismic Zone IV — classified as a High Damage Risk Zone under the Bureau of Indian Standards — underscoring the need for earthquake-resistant construction across the rapidly expanding urban footprint of the region.

Wider seismic context

Saturday’s quake came amid a series of recent seismic events across the region.

In the 24 hours beginning June 26, Pakistan recorded four earthquakes, including a 5.5-magnitude tremor in Balochistan. A day earlier, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake had struck near eastern Honshu in Japan.