A magnitude 6.6 earthquake near Ashkasham killed at least 6 people across Pakistan and was felt as far as Delhi, over 1,000 km from the epicenter.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- 6.6 Mw
- Depth
- 210.4 km
- Deaths
- At least 6
- Injuries
- 46
- Distance from Ashkasham
- 39 km west-southwest
- Largest foreshock magnitude
- 4.5 on April 8, 2016
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Himalayas region is among the most seismically active zones on Earth, where tectonic stress along the convergent boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates regularly produces significant earthquakes. At least 10 foreshocks, the largest measuring magnitude 4.5, preceded the main event on April 8, 2016.
On April 10, 2016, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, Afghanistan, at a depth of 210.4 km. The maximum intensity reached V (Moderate). Strong tremors were felt across northern Pakistan, including Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, Gilgit, Lahore, and as far as Delhi, Kashmir, and Uttarakhand in India.
The earthquake killed at least 6 people — five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Gilgit-Baltistan — and injured 46 others. In Delhi, approximately 1,000 km from the epicenter, the Delhi Metro was temporarily halted as a precaution. Two aftershocks of magnitudes 4.1 and 4.2 followed the main shock.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 6 (earthquake)