5.5 magnitude earthquake near Jurmu in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region | Today’s news
An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale struck near the city of 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 earthquake occurred at a depth of 216.7 km (134.65 mi), making it a deep-focus earthquake that can often be felt over a wide area, although it generally causes less surface damage than shallow tremors.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
5.2 magnitude earthquake near Jurm on June 22
A similar earthquake hit the same area just a few days earlier.
An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck about 42 kilometers south-southwest of Jurm in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province on June 22, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This earthquake occurred at a depth of 207 km, while Wednesday’s magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 50 kilometers southwest of Jurmu at a depth of 216.7 km, suggesting that both deep-focus earthquakes occurred in almost 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 in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and other parts of Central and South Asia.
An earthquake hit Pakistan and Afghanistan on June 27
On June 27, a powerful earthquake struck parts of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, sending residents fleeing their homes in panic, although no casualties or damage were reported.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9 with its epicenter in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured an earthquake with a stronger magnitude of 6.1.
Tremors were widely felt in Islamabad, Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan and Kashmir.
In Afghanistan, an earthquake shook Kabul and several other parts of the country, the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority said.
In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Pakistan and the Kashmir region killed tens of thousands of people. Afghanistan has also endured repeated deadly earthquakes in recent years, resulting in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction.
