Massive 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Afghanistan and Tajikistan, with repercussions felt towards China's border

Digital Desk: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale struck Afghanistan and Tajikistan near the Chinese border on Thursday. The earthquake struck at 06:07 a.m., with the epicentre 265 kilometres from Faizabad. This comes on the heels of recent disastrous earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The epicentre of the earthquake occurred 265 kilometres east of Fayzabad, Afghanistan, at Lat: 38.01 and Long: 73.33.

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Tajikistan, followed by a 5.0-magnitude aftershock and a 4.6-magnitude quake. Natural disasters like as landslides, avalanches, and strong snowfalls are common in the area. Scientists have warned of potentially disastrous effects if the natural dam deep within the Pamir Mountains is breached.

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake was reported near the Xinjiang-Tajikistan border by China state media. There have been no recorded casualties.

Eyewitnesses in Syria reported shaking at 03:42:40 p.m. local time. Nevertheless, there is currently no seismic data to confirm this crowdsourced observation.

Meanwhile, Turkey and Syria are still recovering from the devastation caused by a major earthquake that killed over 47,000 people and damaged hundreds of thousands of homes.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the countries two weeks later, followed by 90 aftershocks. People who were displaced by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on February 6 are now living in tents and dealing with new trauma. Tajikistan and Turkey, for example, are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and require adequate disaster management and emergency response systems to limit the effects on human life and property.