A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck near Jurm in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on Wednesday (July 1), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake occurred at 17:57:03 UTC and was centered about 50 km southwest of Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan.
The USGS said the quake originated at a depth of 216.7 km (134.65 miles), making it a deep-focus earthquake, which can often be felt across a wide area despite generally causing less surface damage than shallow quakes.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Jurm on June 22
A similar earthquake struck the same region just days earlier.
On June 22, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit about 42 kilometres south-southwest of Jurm in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). That quake occurred at a depth of 207 km, while Wednesday’s magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 50 kilometres southwest of Jurm at a depth of 216.7 km, indicating both deep-focus earthquakes occurred in nearly the same area of the Hindu Kush region.
Afghanistan frequently experiences earthquakes due to its location along the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Hindu Kush region is particularly prone to deep earthquakes, which can be felt across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and other parts of Central and South Asia.
Pakistan, Afghanistan jolted by earthquake on June 27
On June 27, a strong earthquake struck parts of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, sending residents rushing out of their homes in panic, though there were no reports of casualties or damage.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the earthquake measured magnitude 5.9, with its epicenter located in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region. The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a stronger magnitude 6.1.
The tremors were widely felt across Islamabad, Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, and Kashmir.
In Afghanistan, the earthquake shook Kabul and several other parts of the country, according to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.
In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed tens of thousands of people in Pakistan and the Kashmir region. Afghanistan has also endured repeated deadly earthquakes in recent years, resulting in thousands of fatalities and widespread destruction.
