Earthquake Today: India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chile Hit with Quakes

• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Afghanistan, causing tremors to be felt as far away as Pakistan and India
• At least three people, including a child, were killed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region
• The US Geological Survey has issued a green alert due to the possibility of shaking-related deaths and economic losses

A massive earthquake slammed northeast Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least five people and causing tremors across Pakistan and India.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck 40 kilometers southeast of Jurm and was 187.6 kilometers deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

Powerful Earthquake Rocks Afghanistan, Pakistan

According to Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management, the quake killed at least five people and wounded at least eight more in Afghanistan's northern Laghman province.

Bilal Faizi, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province rescue services spokesperson, said at least three people have perished in northern Pakistan, including two children. Faizi says at least 41 more persons have been injured in the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The resulting landslides have also blocked roadways in the northern Pakistani city of Abbotabad. Strong tremors were reported in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. Persistent shaking was detected, and residents were observed fleeing their houses as the trees swayed. Tremors were also reported in Lahore, according to witnesses.

CNN witnesses reported earthquakes in New Delhi and Srinagar, the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir, where one eyewitness said he could see his house shaking as neighbors left.

Meanwhile, residents in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad reported fractures in their home walls. Hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat Valley received at least 250 patients, 15 of whom had minor injuries, and more than 200 were unconscious. According to authorities, 52 individuals were hurt in different parts of the province.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged disaster management professionals in the country to be watchful in the aftermath of the earthquake. Moreover, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center reported a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Valparaiso, Chile, on Tuesday. The quake occurred 44 kilometers (27.34 miles) under the earth's surface.

Witnesses in Indian-administered Kashmir also reported feeling the tremors. They fled their houses in terror as they remembered the two deadly earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria last month, killing over 50,000 people. Last year, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing over 1,000 people, per Al Jazeera.

Videos Show 'Major' Earthquake in Afghanistan, Pakistan

The US Geological Survey has issued a green alert for shaking-related deaths and economic damage. For that purpose, it predicts a low number of victims and damage, according to The Independent.

During the previous decade, earthquakes in Afghanistan have killed over 7,000 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In June 2022, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake devastated Afghanistan's southeast area. In the most hit districts of Khost and Paktika, 80% of dwellings were destroyed. The 2022 earthquake caused massive casualties, with over 1,000 people killed and 1,500 injured.

An earthquake that shook South Asia on Tuesday has been classified as "major," with videos of the tremor and its chaotic aftermath spreading online. The earthquake occurred just over two months after a catastrophic 7.8-magnitude quake slammed Southern Turkey and Syria, causing severe havoc and killing over 51,000 people.

In the hours following the earthquake, videos began to flood social media platforms such as Twitter, depicting the immediate impact in many nations and the consequences of the quake. Images and videos of wreckage looked modest a few hours after the quake's first impact, while the actual amount of the damage remains unknown.