The 6.3-magnitude quake hit the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, home to over half a million people, in the early hours of Monday morning. More than 180 people were reportedly injured, with many sustaining injuries after falling from buildings during the tremor.

Witnesses said residents rushed out of their homes in panic as buildings shook and walls cracked. Videos shared online showed debris scattered around the Blue Mosque, one of the city’s most famous landmarks.

Officials in nearby provinces also reported casualties and damage, especially in mountainous areas where rescue operations are more difficult.

This latest quake comes just months after another deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan that claimed more than a thousand lives. Experts say the country remains highly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on several active fault lines where major tectonic plates meet.

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The 6.0-magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in Kunar province, near the city of Jalalabad. Homes crumbled within seconds, and entire families were buried beneath the debris. Shallow tremors and several aftershocks made the devastation even worse.

In villages across Kunar, survivors described heartbreaking losses. “Five people were martyred in this house, three in that one, and another three behind it,” one villager said quietly. “We found them all. But one boy and one girl are still missing.”

Images from the aftermath showed funeral prayers, the wounded being carried on stretchers, and men digging with bare hands, hoping to pull someone out alive.

Officials confirmed that most of the deaths and injuries occurred in Kunar, where homes are often built of mud bricks and wood—structures too fragile to withstand such tremors. The quake struck just before midnight, its shallow depth magnifying the destruction.

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The 6.0-magnitude quake hit just before midnight near Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan. Entire communities in the mountainous region have been devastated, with homes reduced to rubble and survivors desperately searching for loved ones.

Local officials fear the death toll will rise as rescuers struggle to reach remote villages, where landslides have blocked roads and communication lines remain fragile. In some districts, families are still trapped under collapsed buildings while neighbors dig through debris with their bare hands.

The tremor was felt across a wide area, including in Kabul, over 100 miles from the epicenter. Residents there described rushing into the streets in the middle of the night, terrified that their homes would collapse.

On Monday, officials reported at least 250 lives lost and more than 500 injured in several districts of Kunar province alone. Hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded, and emergency shelters are being set up for those left homeless.

The region has also been rattled by multiple aftershocks, the strongest reaching a magnitude of 5.2, compounding the fear and destruction.

Afghanistan is no stranger to deadly earthquakes, especially in its mountainous border areas. Just two years ago, a quake in the west of the country claimed more than 2,000 lives, one of the worst in recent memory.

For survivors, the focus now is on pulling people from the rubble, finding the missing, and caring for the injured. Emergency teams are working with whatever resources they can muster, while families huddle in makeshift camps, fearful of what may come next.

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Although the quake was among the strongest recorded in recent years, no major injuries or significant damage have been reported so far.

In Hawaii, thousands of residents and tourists evacuated to higher ground as tsunami waves hit Oahu and Maui. While initial alerts warned of dangerous waves, local authorities later said the expected large-scale disaster did not materialize. Waves reached up to 1.7 meters in some places, but no major flooding occurred.

Emergency officials downgraded warnings to advisories, allowing people to return home while cautioning them to remain alert to strong currents and possible minor flooding.

Across the Pacific, similar scenes unfolded. In Northern California, waves just over a meter were recorded, while smaller surges were noted in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Canada’s west coast issued and later cancelled its tsunami advisory.

In Russia, waves up to 5 meters struck coastal towns near the quake’s epicenter. Several buildings were damaged and some regions lost power, but no serious injuries were reported. A state of emergency was declared in certain areas, and aftershocks—including one measuring 6.9—continued to shake the region. Adding to the geological activity, a nearby volcano began erupting hours after the quake.

In Japan, millions were alerted through tsunami sirens, with waves over a meter high reported in coastal areas. Authorities ordered widespread evacuations but later downgraded alerts as the threat eased. At the Fukushima nuclear plant, all workers were safely evacuated, and no unusual activity was detected.

Further afield, smaller waves and advisories were issued in French Polynesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, and parts of Central and South America. In Peru, dozens of ports were closed as a precaution.

This event occurred along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active seismic zone where most of the world’s earthquakes originate. Kamchatka, where the quake struck, lies near a volatile tectonic boundary shared by many countries in the region.

Despite the scale of the quake and the widespread alerts, the actual damage remained limited—a fortunate outcome for what could have been a far more devastating natural disaster.

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Current Situation at a Glance:

Tsunami waves have reached the western U.S., with advisories issued for coastal areas. A 3.6ft wave was recorded in Crescent City, California.

Japan, Hawaii, and parts of Russia have downgraded their warnings to advisories, though alerts remain in effect in several countries including Colombia and New Zealand.

In Japan, nearly two million people were advised to evacuate at one point, while in Russia, waves as high as 13 feet flooded the town of Severo-Kurilsk.

Evacuation orders and marine restrictions were issued in multiple countries across Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.

Personal Stories from the Ground:

In Russia’s Kamchatka region, residents described the quake as unlike anything they’d experienced. One lifelong resident said people ran into the streets in their pajamas, some crying, holding their children, as buildings swayed and the ground rolled beneath their feet.

A high school student recalled how furniture collapsed inside their home, and neighbors rushed out in panic with pets in tow. Road chaos followed as people tried to flee in cars, causing traffic jams and minor collisions.

In Hawaii, a British tourist said beachgoers sprinted back to their cruise ship when tsunami sirens began. Another visitor, vacationing in Maui, described how uncertainty turned into anxiety as evacuation points filled with uneasy tourists waiting for updates.

Global Impact and Evacuations:

North America: Advisories were in effect along much of the U.S. Pacific coast. While warnings have been lifted in southern California and Alaska’s eastern islands, some northern areas still remain under alert.

South America: Countries including Chile, Mexico, and Costa Rica issued alerts. In Colombia, officials downgraded initial warnings but kept restrictions in place for certain coastal zones.

Oceania: Nations such as Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands issued threat alerts, while Fiji, Tonga, and others later lifted theirs.

Asia and Russia: Japan downgraded warnings to advisories. In Russia, evacuations were carried out in the northern Kuril Islands, with significant flooding reported in Severo-Kurilsk.

What Caused the Earthquake?

This type of quake is known as a megathrust earthquake, caused when one tectonic plate slides beneath another. In this case, the Pacific plate is subducting beneath a smaller one near Kamchatka. As pressure builds and is suddenly released, it triggers massive seismic waves and can displace vast volumes of water, resulting in tsunamis.

Aftermath and Ongoing Monitoring:

Despite the scale of the quake, initial reports indicate there have been no deaths. Emergency systems activated in time across several regions. Some areas, like Japan, saw people fleeing beaches and resorts, and thousands spent the night in shelters or vehicles.

Several airports, including one in Russia, suffered damage with ceiling panels collapsing, though no serious injuries were reported. In Hawaii, residents are slowly returning home, though caution is still advised due to strong currents.

Officials and disaster response teams continue to monitor the situation, analyzing wave patterns and aftershocks. While many advisories have been lifted, communities are being urged to remain alert.

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