A magnitude 4.4 earthquake was confirmed in Tajikistan near the Afghanistan border

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck eastern Tajikistan near the Afghanistan border at 04:30 local time Thursday, releasing accumulated crustal stress along a fault zone that runs parallel to the frontier. Regional seismologists verified the event minutes after detection, placing the epicenter approximately 146 kilometers east-northeast of Fayzabad, Afghanistan.

Emergency coordinators reported zero immediate casualties or structural damage as dawn broke over the mountain terrain. Civil defense teams mobilized from the regional hub of Khorugh to prioritize ground inspections in isolated settlements, where the tremor registered as light to moderate.