quake

The earthquake comes two months after the deadliest quake in recent Afghan history, which killed thousands of people.

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), two months after a quake killed thousands of people in the impoverished nation’s east.

The USGS said overnight Sunday into Monday that the quake hit at a revised depth of 28km (17 miles) in Kholm, near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in the Hindu Kush region, at 12:59 am local time (20:29 GMT). It was felt by correspondents with the AFP news agency based in the capital Kabul.

The agency had initially given the depth as 10km (6 miles).

Local authorities broadcast emergency telephone numbers for people to call, but did not immediately report any deaths or injuries.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, many people ran into the street in the middle of the night, fearing their homes might collapse, an AFP correspondent observed.

The Taliban authorities have had to deal with several major quakes since returning to power in 2021, including one in 2023 in the western Herat region on the border with Iran that killed more than 1,500 people and destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

A shallow 6.0-magnitude quake struck this year on August 31 in the country’s east, killing more than 2,200 people – the deadliest tremor in recent Afghan history.

Earthquakes are common in the country, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.

Afghanistan is contending with multiple crises after decades of war: endemic poverty, severe drought and the influx of millions of Afghans forced back home by neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.

Many modest Afghan homes are shoddily built and poor infrastructure hampers rescue efforts after natural disasters like quakes.

Since 1900, northeastern Afghanistan has been hit by 12 earthquakes with a magnitude above 7.0, according to Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey.

At least 69 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that struck the central Philippine province of Cebu.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake, which occurred at about 10pm (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday, trapped an unspecified number of residents in collapsed houses, nightclubs, and other businesses in Bogo City and outlying rural towns within Cebu, officials said.

Rescuers scrambled to find survivors on Wednesday. Army troops, police, and civilian volunteers, supported by backhoe diggers and sniffer dogs, were deployed to conduct house-to-house searches for survivors.

The epicentre of the earthquake — triggered by movement along an undersea fault line at a dangerously shallow depth of 5km (3 miles) — was about 19km (12 miles) northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province, where about half of the deaths were reported, officials said.

The death toll in Bogo was likely to rise, according to officials, who noted that intermittent rain and damaged bridges and roads were hampering efforts to save lives.

“We’re still in the golden hour of our search and rescue,” Office of Civil Defence deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said during a news briefing. “There are still many reports of people who were pinned or hit by debris.”

Deaths were also reported in the outlying towns of Medellin and San Remigio, where three coastguard personnel, a firefighter, and a child were killed separately by collapsing walls and falling debris while attempting to flee to safety from a basketball game in a sports complex that was disrupted by the quake, town officials said.

The earthquake was one of the most powerful to hit the central region in more than a decade.

Cebu and other provinces were still recovering from Typhoon Bualoi, which battered the central region on Friday, killing at least 27 people — mostly due to drownings and falling trees — knocking out power in entire cities and towns, and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands.

Schools and government offices were closed in the affected cities and towns while the safety of buildings was assessed. More than 600 aftershocks have been detected since Tuesday night’s earthquake, said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Rain-soaked mountainsides were more susceptible to landslides and mudslides following a major earthquake, he warned.

“This was really traumatic to people. They have been lashed by a storm and then jolted by an earthquake,” Bacolcol said. “I don’t want to experience what they’ve gone through.”

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year.

The US Geological Survey described the earthquake as an ‘aftershock’ from the massive magnitude 8.8 quake that struck region in July.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has struck the Kamchatka region in Russia’s Far East in what the US Geological Survey has called an “aftershock” from a massive earlier quake in July.

The quake early on Friday triggered a series of tsunami warnings in the region, but despite waves reaching some shores, there were no reports of damage.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was caused by “shallow reverse faulting” at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) and was followed by a series of aftershocks, measuring up to a magnitude of 5.8.

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said the quake had a magnitude of 7.2.

Kamchatka regional Governor Vladimir Solodov said all emergency services had been placed in a state of high readiness, but no damage had been reported so far.

“This morning is once again testing the resilience of Kamchatka residents,” Solodov wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Immediately after the earthquake, we began a rapid inspection of social institutions and residential buildings.”

A tsunami warning was issued for the eastern shore of the peninsula, jutting far out into the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean.

Other officials reported tsunami waves of 30 to 62 centimetres (1 to 2 feet) at various points along the coast of the peninsula.

A tsunami warning was also issued for parts of the Kuril island chain, north of Japan, the Emergencies Ministry said.

Videos uploaded to social media captured the moment of the quake, showing people’s light fittings shaking, furniture rattling, and cars parked in the street rocking while their security alarms sounded.

The US National Weather Service and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for parts of Alaska following the quake, but the warning was later lifted.

Kamchatka is located in a highly seismic area, and at least two quakes with a magnitude greater than 7.0 have occurred in the past week.

An earthquake in July reached a magnitude of 8.8 and triggered a tsunami that flooded a seaport town and activated warnings across the entire Pacific.

🌋Scientists who landed on the volcano filmed the moment of the earthquake in #Kamchatka.

Footage of the powerful #earthquake in Kamchatka has appeared online.

In the first video, recorded by specialists from one of the research centers, a helicopter that has just dropped off a… pic.twitter.com/tboMJLaaxi

— News.Az (@news_az) September 13, 2025

July 29 (UPI) — A massive magnitude-8.7 earthquake struck near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula Wednesday morning, prompting tsunami warnings to be issued throughout the Pacific, including for much of the U.S. West Coast.

The earthquake struck at about 8:25 a.m., Japanese time, off the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Japan Meteorological Agency rated it a 8.7-magnitude temblor while the U.S. Geological Survey said it was an 8.8-magnitude strike. The U.S. survey said it struck about 74 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of 12.8 miles.

If confirmed as an 8.8 magnitude strike, it would be among the 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded and the largest since 2011, when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, resulting in a tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

United States

A tsunami warning has also been issued for Hawaii, Alaska’s Samalga Pass, and California’s west coast from Cape Mendocino to the Oregon-California border while advisories have been issued for much of the U.S. and Canadian West Coast.

According to the National Weather Service, the tsunami could cause damage all along the coastlines of all Hawaiian islands and “urgent actions should be taken to protect lives and property.”

“A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii,” the NWS said in a statement. “Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property.”

“Destructive” waves are expected to hit Honolulu by 7:17 p.m. HST Tuesday, according to the local department of emergency management.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has issued an emergency proclamation activating the U.S. National Guard to assist with disaster relief and for the state’s emergency services to take necessary safety actions.

In a press conference, Green said they expect “significant damage” along the coastlines, and that they “we pray that we won’t lose any of our loved ones.”

“God willing these waves will not hurt us, but you have to assume — assume — they will be life threatening,” he said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is forecasting waves of 10 feet above tide level are possible to hit the northern Hawaii islands.

The Hawaii Department of Transport said the Coast Guard has ordered all vessels to follow their procedures to leave port for all islands.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s office said he has been briefed on the situation, while urging residents to stay alert and follow local emergency guidance.

Officials have also closed all beaches, harbors and piers in California’s Huntington Beach, though no evacuations orders have yet been given.

For Samalga Pass, it said that a tsunami with “significant inundation is possible or is already occurring.”

“STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!” U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement to his Truth Social platform.

JAPAN

The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning of tsunamis as high as 3 meters, or nearly 9 feet, from northeastern Hokkaido southward to Wakayama Prefecture.

Tsunami warnings order the immediate evacuation from coastal regions and riverside areas to safer, higher ground.

Tsunami advisories have been issued for the rest of the southeastern coast of the country.

Japan Safe Travel, a division of the Asian nation’s tourism organization, is warning that tsunamis are expected to strike the country between 1 and 3 meters starting at about 10 a.m. local time until at least 1:30 p.m.

According to Japan’s fire and disaster management agency, evacuation orders have been issued for 112 cities and towns, affecting more than 1.9 million people.

TEPCO, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, said in a statement that all workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which is under decommission, have been evacuated.

The Japanese government said it has established a prime minister’s liaison office to respond to the earthquake and tsunami.

RUSSIA

Russia’s emergencies ministry said in a statement that tsunami waves have already hit its far east coast, flooding the port town of Severo-Kurilsk and the Alaid fish processing plant.

“Residents have been evacuated,” it said.

Valery Limarenk, governor of Sakhalin oblast, also confirmed on Telegram that the tsunami had struck, saying “residents of the settlement remain safe on higher ground until the threat of additional waves is fully lifted.”

In Kamchatka, off where the quake struck, responders are inspecting buildings. It said the facade of one kindergarten that was under renovation collapsed.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has also warned of waves of up to 10 feet hitting parts of Russia and Ecuador.

South and Central America

The Integrated Tsunami Alert System of Mexico and Central America issued a tsunami alert from Mexico’s Ensenada to Panama, saying waves of up to 3 feet are possible.

This is a developing story.

In the aftermath of a magnitude 5.7 earthquake, the five men were accused of robbing damaged homes in the Santa Maria de Jesus municipality.

Five men have been lynched after rural community members accused them of robbing damaged homes following an earthquake that struck Guatemala and caused widespread damage.

Police spokesperson Cesar Mateo told the AFP news agency on Friday night that the men were accused of using the dark of the night to break into homes following the tremors, which led people to sleep in shelters or with relatives.

“While it’s true that robbery is illegal, lynching is also a crime,” Mateo said.

Guatemala’s Ministry of the Interior said residents of Santa Maria de Jesus municipality searched for the men late on Thursday and then blocked authorities who tried to detain and take them away.

Residents beat the men with sticks and stones and then burned them in the community, which lies in the Sacatepequez department southwest of the capital.

Santa Maria de Jesus was the worst-affected area by the earthquake that created tremors of up to 5.7 magnitude. At least seven people were killed across Guatemala after Tuesday’s earthquake.

Vigilante violence is a recurrent response to criminals who are not prosecuted in Guatemala.

According to a local civil society organisation, between 2008 and 2020, vigilante justice left 361 people dead and 1,396 injured in the country.

The earthquake left Santa Maria de Jesus, home to an Indigenous Mayan community, without power, while access to roads was cut off by landslides.

The government flew in humanitarian aid to Santa Maria de Jesus to help residents.

The disaster coordination agency, Conred, which has been evaluating the level of damage in affected areas, said a delivery of solar lamps, buckets, mats, mosquito nets, blankets and kitchen kits has been received from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

In a separate statement on Friday, the agency said it was continuing to assist, including the “mobilisation and delivery of humanitarian aid” to parts of the country.