New Delhi, April 19, 2025 – A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region early Friday at 12:57 AM IST, sending tremors across Delhi-NCR, Jammu and Kashmir, and parts of north India, with no reported casualties or damage, per the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) (web:4,7,8,21). The quake, centered 164 km east of Baghlan at a depth of 121 km, initially registered as 6.4 before being revised, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) (web:4,7).
Residents in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad felt mild shaking, with many rushing out of high-rises. “It woke me up—beds were swaying,” a Noida resident posted on X (post:1). Social media lit up, with users like @kapoor_aamaya asking, “Anyone feel the earthquake in Delhi?” (web:6). Delhi’s Seismic Zone IV status, near the Himalayan fault lines, amplifies risks—2024 saw 12 tremors here, including a 4.0 quake on February 17 (web:12,18). “Shallow quakes hit harder,” NCS Director OP Mishra told India Today (web:12).
Afghanistan’s seismic hotbed, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, triggers frequent quakes—2023’s 6.3 Herat quake killed 1,000 (web:21). Delhi-NCR’s 20 crore residents, packed into high-rises on soft alluvial soil, face amplified shaking, with 60% of buildings non-compliant with seismic codes (web:18, MHA). X buzzes—“Delhi’s not ready!”—but some downplay: “Just another jolt” (post:2). No damage reports emerged, but the quake follows Mustafabad’s deadly collapse, raising urban safety fears (web:15).
India’s 90 crore digital users shared clips of shaking fans, but NCS urged calm, noting deep quakes like this—121 km—cause less harm (web:7,10). For India’s 140 crore, it’s a reminder—seismic prep lags. Will Delhi fortify, or brace for the next rumble?
