Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes Afghanistan Hindu Kush region with strong tremors felt across North India including Delhi, Srinagar and Chandigarh

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan on the evening of 3 April 2026, sending strong tremors across multiple cities in North India including Delhi, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Noida, Ludhiana, Poonch and Udhampur. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported the epicentre near Darawan in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province at coordinates 36.52 degrees north latitude and 71.01 degrees east longitude, with the earthquake occurring at a depth of approximately 75 kilometres at around 9:50 pm Indian Standard Time.

Residents across the National Capital Region (NCR) and parts of Jammu and Kashmir rushed out of their homes and office buildings as tremors lasting several seconds shook high-rise structures. Reports emerged of household items rattling and shifting as buildings swayed noticeably in affected areas. Crowds gathered in parks and open spaces outside residential societies within minutes of the earthquake striking. No casualties or significant structural damage have been reported by authorities as of the latest updates.

Why did the Afghanistan earthquake cause such strong tremors in Delhi NCR and North India despite the distant epicentre?

The earthquake’s considerable depth of 75 kilometres played a significant role in the widespread transmission of seismic waves across the region. Deep earthquakes tend to propagate energy over greater distances compared to shallow events, allowing tremors to be felt hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre. The Hindu Kush mountain range, where the earthquake originated, lies approximately 1,000 kilometres from Delhi, yet the seismic waves travelled efficiently through the geological structures connecting Afghanistan to the Indian subcontinent.

Residents in multi-storey buildings reported more pronounced shaking than those in lower structures. A Noida resident described the experience to media outlets, stating that everything in the kitchen began rattling suddenly, prompting an immediate evacuation to the ground floor. Similar accounts emerged from residents in Green Park, Delhi, who initially mistook the shaking for something else before recognising the earthquake when objects on tables began moving.

The tremors were also detected in Uzbekistan, where the Republican Seismoprognostic Monitoring Center recorded the event at 21:12 local time. The centre reported the epicentre at 526 kilometres southeast of Tashkent, confirming the regional reach of the seismic activity across Central and South Asia.

What is the seismic history of the Hindu Kush region and why does Afghanistan experience frequent earthquakes?

The Hindu Kush mountain range stretching across northeastern Afghanistan represents one of the most seismically active zones on the planet, recording more than 100 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater annually. The region’s exceptional seismic activity stems from its position along the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a process that began approximately 55 million years ago and continues to the present day. The Indian plate moves northward at approximately 5 centimetres per year, generating immense pressure along fault lines and creating conditions for frequent seismic releases.

Afghanistan sits on multiple active fault systems including the Chaman fault, the Central Badakhshan fault, the Darvaz fault and the Hari Rud fault, each contributing to the country’s seismic risk profile. The collision of tectonic plates has created the Himalayan mountain range and continues to cause ongoing mountain formation and crustal deformation across the region. The Hindu Kush experiences a particularly high concentration of intermediate-depth earthquakes occurring between 70 and 300 kilometres below the surface, making it one of the world’s most active zones for such events.

Afghanistan has suffered devastating earthquakes in recent years. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif in November 2025, killing at least 27 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the historic Blue Mosque. In August 2025, a quake and strong aftershocks killed more than 2,200 people in the eastern provinces. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has repeatedly noted the country’s extreme vulnerability to natural disasters, with earthquake impacts disproportionately affecting communities already weakened by decades of conflict and chronic underdevelopment.

How vulnerable is Delhi NCR to earthquakes and what are the major fault lines affecting the national capital region?

Delhi falls within Seismic Zone IV on the Bureau of Indian Standards classification system, the second-highest risk category indicating a high probability of moderate to strong earthquakes with potential magnitudes ranging from 5 to 7 and occasionally reaching 8. The capital region lies approximately 260 kilometres from the Himalayan Belt, one of the world’s most seismically active zones, and sits at the intersection of multiple active fault systems that increase its seismic vulnerability.

Major fault lines affecting Delhi NCR include the Delhi-Haridwar Ridge, the Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault, the Delhi-Moradabad Fault, the Sohna Fault and the Great Boundary Fault. These geological structures extend beneath the alluvial plains of the Ganga basin from the Aravalli Mountain belt toward the Himalayan mountains. Historical records indicate Delhi experienced damaging earthquakes in 1720 with an estimated magnitude of 6.5 and in 1960 with a magnitude of 6.0, demonstrating the region’s long-term seismic vulnerability.

The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology, has noted that while frequent minor tremors in Delhi NCR do not necessarily signal an imminent major earthquake, the region remains susceptible to strong seismic events due to accumulated strain energy from the northward movement of the Indian plate. The Institute has identified three major seismic gaps along the Himalayan arc, including the Central Gap north of Delhi, that have not experienced great earthquakes for extended periods and represent potential zones for future significant events.

What specific areas in North India reported earthquake tremors and how did residents respond to the seismic event?

The earthquake tremors were reported across a wide geographic area spanning multiple states and union territories in North India. In the National Capital Region, tremors were felt in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad. The states of Punjab and Haryana reported tremors in cities including Chandigarh and Ludhiana. In Jammu and Kashmir, residents in Srinagar, Poonch and Udhampur experienced the earthquake, with some reports also emerging from the Ladakh region including Kargil.

The immediate response across affected areas followed a pattern common during earthquake events in urban centres. Residents in multi-storey buildings rushed to stairwells and evacuated to open spaces within moments of feeling the tremors. Large crowds gathered in parks and on streets outside residential complexes across Delhi NCR. The shaking reportedly lasted several seconds, sufficient time for people to recognise the seismic event and initiate evacuation procedures.

Emergency services and disaster management authorities activated monitoring protocols following the earthquake. Officials confirmed no immediate reports of casualties or significant structural damage had been received. Authorities maintained heightened vigilance in the hours following the event, with emergency response teams on standby across the affected regions.

How does this earthquake compare to other recent seismic events affecting Delhi NCR and North India in 2026?

The 3 April 2026 earthquake marks at least the third significant seismic event to affect Delhi NCR during the year. Earlier tremors struck the region in January, with a magnitude 2.8 earthquake on 19 January having its epicentre in North Delhi, followed by a magnitude 3.2 earthquake on 30 January with its epicentre approximately 60 to 80 kilometres northeast of the capital. Neither of those earlier events caused reported damage.

The region also experienced two earthquakes originating in Haryana’s Jhajjar district in the days immediately preceding the Afghanistan event. On 2 April 2026, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Jhajjar around 9 am, causing brief panic among residents. This was followed by a magnitude 3.7 earthquake on the evening of 3 April at 7:49 pm, just two hours before the larger Afghanistan earthquake sent tremors across the region. Jhajjar lies approximately 60 kilometres from Delhi, and both events were recorded by the National Centre for Seismology at shallow depths of 10 to 15 kilometres.

The clustering of seismic events in and around Delhi NCR during early 2026 follows patterns observed in previous years. The region has experienced more than 10 mild earthquakes since May of the preceding year, raising questions among residents and researchers about regional seismic activity levels. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology has stated that while such tremors indicate strain energy buildup in the region, they cannot be defined as foreshocks for any larger event, though the possibility of a stronger earthquake cannot be ruled out.

What makes Jammu and Kashmir particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and what seismic classification does the region hold?

Jammu and Kashmir has been classified under Seismic Zone V, the highest risk category under the Bureau of Indian Standards seismic zoning framework, indicating the highest level of earthquake vulnerability in the country. The entire territory falls within this classification, reflecting its position along the tectonically active Himalayan belt where the Indian and Eurasian plates continue their ongoing collision. The revised seismic standard has triggered mandatory structural audits and evaluations for existing and upcoming infrastructure across the region.

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have begun assessments of critical infrastructure including schools, hospitals, bridges and tunnels. Over 11,600 school buildings have already been audited, with vulnerable structures identified for retrofitting to improve earthquake resistance. However, earthquake preparedness in the region remains a work in progress, with no fully developed early warning system currently in place. The National Centre for Seismology monitors seismic activity across the region, but research on an early warning system specifically for the Himalayan region remains in early stages.

Historical seismic data for Jammu and Kashmir indicates the region experiences an average of approximately 104 earthquakes per year of various magnitudes. The strongest recorded earthquake near the region in recent decades was a magnitude 5.9 event in January 2026, which struck 295 kilometres north of Srinagar at a depth of 35 kilometres. Records extending back to 1900 show the region has experienced at least two earthquakes above magnitude 7, suggesting large seismic events occur approximately every 60 to 65 years on average.

What are the geological factors behind the concentration of intermediate-depth earthquakes in the Hindu Kush region?

Scientific research has identified a unique geological phenomenon beneath the Hindu Kush mountains that may explain the region’s exceptional concentration of intermediate-depth earthquakes. Studies published in geophysical journals suggest a large mass of solid rock is slowly detaching from the mountain range’s subterranean base and descending into the Earth’s viscous mantle below. This process, comparable to a water droplet pulling away from a faucet, may be occurring at rates as fast as 10 centimetres per year and could be generating the stress conditions that trigger frequent seismic activity.

The Hindu Kush seismic zone differs from typical subduction zones where oceanic lithosphere plunges beneath an overriding plate. Research indicates the earthquakes occur within subducted continental lithosphere, with fault plane solutions showing nearly vertical tension axes characteristic of gravitationally controlled processes. The seismic zone forms a roughly east-west trending planar structure, distinguishing it from the more cylindrical patterns observed in other intermediate-depth earthquake zones such as the Vrancea region beneath the Carpathian Mountains in Europe.

The tectonic complexity of the region extends to the neighbouring Pamir mountains, where researchers have identified a separate seismic zone representing subducted Tarim Basin lithosphere dipping gently southward. The interaction between these different geological structures creates conditions for the exceptionally high seismicity rates observed across the Hindu Kush and Pamir region, making the area one of the world’s most important natural laboratories for understanding intermediate-depth earthquake mechanisms.

Key takeaways on the Afghanistan earthquake and its implications for North India and regional seismic preparedness

• The magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region at approximately 9:50 pm IST on 3 April 2026, with the National Centre for Seismology reporting the epicentre near Darawan in Badakhshan province at a depth of 75 kilometres.
• Strong tremors were felt across Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, with residents in high-rise buildings reporting several seconds of noticeable shaking and household items rattling.
• No casualties or significant structural damage have been reported by Indian authorities, with emergency services maintaining heightened vigilance following the event.
• Delhi falls within Seismic Zone IV while Jammu and Kashmir is classified under the highest risk category Zone V, reflecting the continued vulnerability of North India to moderate and strong seismic events.
• The Hindu Kush region experiences over 100 magnitude 4.0 or greater earthquakes annually due to its position along the Indian-Eurasian plate collision zone, with Afghanistan’s seismic activity posing ongoing regional implications.