Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Kills at Least 12 in Afghanistan, Including Eight Members of Refugee Family
Tremor struck Hindu Kush region at depth of 186 km on Friday night, damaging dozens of homes across six provinces
KABUL — April 4, 2026 — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan on Friday night, April 3, killing at least 12 people and injuring four others, officials said on Saturday, as rescue workers searched through rubble for survivors in the Hindu Kush mountain region .
The quake struck at 8:42 p.m. local time (1612 GMT) at a depth of 186 kilometers (115 miles), with its epicenter in the remote Badakhshan province near the border with Tajikistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) . Despite the moderate magnitude, the tremor was felt across a wide swath of Afghanistan and as far away as Islamabad, Peshawar and other parts of western Pakistan .
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One Family Lost Eight Members
In the most devastating single incident, eight members of a recently returned refugee family were killed when a wall collapsed on their tent in the village of Ittefaq on the eastern outskirts of Kabul, neighbor Mohibullah Niazi told The Associated Press .
The family — identified as parents Najibullah, about 50 years old, his wife, four daughters aged between 12 and 23, and two sons — had returned from Iran just 15 days ago after both countries launched crackdowns on Afghan refugees . They had been living in a tent on a plot of land next to Niazi’s home, lacking any other shelter.
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“He was a very poor person,” Niazi said of Najibullah.
Heavy rains over the preceding days had left the ground sodden and soft. When the earthquake struck, a wall separating the land from Niazi’s higher-ground property collapsed directly onto the family .
“For about three minutes, I could hear the voices of these people,” Niazi recounted. “But we couldn’t do anything. There were two or three of us, but this was not the work of three people.”
A boy aged around three, identified as Aarash, was the sole survivor from the household, pulled alive but suffering a severe head injury. He has been hospitalized in Kabul .
Four other people were killed in western Kabul, according to Abdul Qadeem Abrar, spokesman for the Afghan Red Crescent Society .
Widespread Damage Across Six Provinces
Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said five homes were completely destroyed and 33 others partially damaged, affecting a total of 40 families across the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan .
Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said authorities in Kabul and provincial health centers had been placed on alert following the quake .
The Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority gave a preliminary death toll of nine, though government officials later confirmed 12 fatalities. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear .
Tremors Felt Across Region
The quake, which had an epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountain range about 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the city of Kunduz, was felt across a wide area, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center . Strong tremors were reported in Kabul and adjoining provinces, including Panjshir and Laghman .
In Pakistan, the Pakistan Meteorological Department reported that the quake was felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, though no immediate reports of damage or injuries emerged .
Afghanistan’s Vulnerability to Earthquakes
Afghanistan lies in a highly seismically active zone, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet . The country has suffered devastating earthquakes in recent years.
In August 2025, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 2,200 people — the deadliest tremor in the country’s recent history . Most casualties occurred in Kunar province, where residents typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.
In November 2025, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 27 people and injuring more than 950 . That quake also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan’s famed Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.
On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people .
Humanitarian Challenges
Impoverished Afghanistan often faces significant difficulties in responding to natural disasters, especially in remote regions . Many homes in rural areas are constructed from mud bricks and wood, with poor structural integrity.
The latest tragedy adds to the humanitarian challenges facing the country, which is also grappling with the return of millions of Afghan refugees from neighboring Iran and Pakistan following crackdowns on undocumented foreigners since 2023 .
As of Saturday, April 4, rescue workers continued to assess damage in affected areas, and officials warned that the death toll could rise as information from remote mountainous districts becomes available .
SOURCES / INPUTS
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