As per the data provided by the National Center for Seismology, a seismic event measuring 4.8 on the magnitude scale struck on August 28, 2023, at 10:05:08 IST. The earthquake’s epicenter was located at a latitude of 36.41 and a longitude of 70.44, with a recorded depth of 173 kilometers.
In the early hours of Monday, a robust 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck a remote, mountainous expanse in eastern Afghanistan. The temblor caused the collapse of stone and mud-brick dwellings, mainly concentrated in the rugged terrain. The National Center for Seismology pinpointed the quake’s epicenter as Kalafgan—approximately 300 kilometers away from Kabul, the national capital.
At the time of crafting this article, there were no documented instances of casualties or injuries resulting from the seismic event. Nevertheless, various media outlets indicated that the neighboring nations of Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also experienced aftershocks from the recent tremor.
The seismic incident has presented a fresh challenge for Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban faction and humanitarian organizations that are already grappling with the country’s myriad crises. Notably, Afghanistan, burdened by debt, frequently contends with potent tremors, primarily along the Hindu Kush mountain range—a geological juncture where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.
In early August, the nation encountered a similar quake, although it mercifully yielded no fatalities. Tragically, in June of the previous year, a catastrophic earthquake claimed the lives of over 1,000 individuals and inflicted critical injuries on more than 1,500 others.