An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 on the Richter Scale struck Afghanistan in the early hours of Tuesday, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).
The tremor occurred at a depth of 180 kilometers and was recorded at Latitude 36.52 N and Longitude 71.10 E. The earthquake took place at 03:37 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
The quake was recorded in the Badakhshan region, a mountainous area prone to frequent natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides, and seasonal flooding.
According to reports, this marks the 17th earthquake to hit Afghanistan in the past 30 days.
As per the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters. These recurring quakes exacerbate the struggles of communities already suffering from decades of conflict and underdevelopment, making it difficult for them to cope with multiple simultaneous crises.
The Red Cross notes that Afghanistan has a history of powerful earthquakes due to its location along active fault lines. The Hindu Kush mountain range is particularly seismically active, with earthquakes occurring regularly. The country sits at the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, with a fault line running directly through Herat, increasing its susceptibility to seismic activity.