KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 rattled parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late on April 3, 2026, killing eight members of one family when their house collapsed on the outskirts of Kabul. The earthquake's epicenter was in the Hindu Kush mountain range about 150 kilometers east of the city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the U.S. Geological Survey.

A spokesman for the Kabul governor said eight people were killed and a child was injured in the house collapse. All of the dead and the injured child were members of the same family, the spokesman said. Kabul is roughly 290 kilometers southwest of the earthquake's epicenter, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from areas closer to where the quake originated.

The earthquake's epicenter was at a depth of over 180 kilometers. In Pakistan, the earthquake was felt in the cities and towns of Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Pakistan.

Afghanistan's Health Ministry placed Kabul and provincial health authorities on alert following the earthquake. Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said the ministry directed local health teams to prepare for potential casualties and coordinate emergency response efforts.

The region has experienced a series of earthquakes that caused thousands of deaths in recent years. In October 2023, a magnitude-6.3 earthquake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.

In August 2025, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 2,200 people, leveling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most of the casualties from that earthquake were in Kunar province, where people 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 earthquake damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan's Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.

Many homes in rural and outlying areas of Afghanistan are constructed from mud bricks and wood. Casualty and damage reports from the April 3 earthquake may evolve as further assessments are conducted in the affected areas.