Earthquake - The Times Of Central Asia

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Earthquake

Earthquake Shakes Bishkek; No Major Damage Reported

A magnitude-4.3 earthquake struck near Besh-Kungey, about 19 km southeast of Bishkek, on September 12, 2025, at around 2:00 PM local time. The quake was very shallow - just 1 km deep - making its tremors strongly felt across the city. Local media outlet AKIpress described the quake as “strong,” with residents reporting shaking windows, rattled dishes, and minor panic, though no serious damage or injuries have been confirmed. The tremor’s intensity surprised many, given its moderate magnitude. No statement has yet been issued by the Kyrgyz Seismological Service confirming the depth or epicenter of the quake. Seismo.kg lists the event among recent felt tremors, but details remain scant. While the earthquake was clearly perceptible, especially in Bishkek, there are so far no reports of serious damage, injury, or casualties. Local authorities are monitoring the situation. Given Kyrgyzstan’s high seismic risk and known vulnerability in older or poorly constructed buildings, experts caution that even moderate quakes could carry elevated risk for such structures. This event underscores the seismic risk facing areas along fault lines in Central Asia. Though moderate in scale, it serves as a reminder of the importance of earthquake preparedness and resilient infrastructure in seismic zones.

Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP)

Kyrgyz Energy Ministry Rejects Concerns About Seismic Safety of Future Kambarata-1 HPP

The Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy has dismissed concerns raised by leading seismologists about the seismic safety of the planned Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP), a flagship regional energy project jointly backed by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting on September 9, Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov, President of Kyrgyzstan’s National Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute of Seismology, warned that the future dam may be vulnerable to strong earthquakes due to its proposed location. Seismic Warnings from Scientists “The dam is planned in a dangerous area, surrounded by mountains,” Abdrakhmatov said. “It may not withstand a powerful earthquake.” He stressed that preliminary seismic micro-zoning studies had not been conducted and said his institute had written twice to the Ministry of Energy requesting such research, but received no response. He warned that the destruction of Kambarata-1 in the event of a major earthquake could trigger cascading failures downstream, including at the existing Kambarata-2 HPP and other facilities. Ministry and International Experts Respond In a formal statement issued on September 10, the Ministry of Energy rejected the criticism and pointed to a recent review conducted by Swiss engineering consultancy AFRY, which is responsible for updating the feasibility study for the project. According to the ministry, AFRY commissioned a team of international experts, including renowned dam safety specialists Dr. Martin Wieland and Dr. Stefan Ehlers, to carry out a comprehensive seismic analysis of the proposed site. The assessment used geological, tectonic, and seismic data, as well as satellite imagery and historical earthquake records. The experts recommended constructing a curved gravity dam, which they said would improve both the structural stability and hydraulic performance of the plant. AFRY concluded that the dam would withstand projected seismic loads and stated that “its overall behavior in terms of load-bearing capacity is safe.” Ongoing Safety Measures The ministry also stated that further detailed safety studies are planned. These include the creation of a seismic micro-zoning map and the installation of three to five seismic monitoring stations at strategic points: along the dam’s axis, on both riverbanks, at the crest level, and upstream from the site. The Kambarata-1 HPP is expected to become the largest hydropower facility in Kyrgyzstan. With a projected capacity of 1,860 megawatts and average annual generation of 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours, the $4 billion project is seen as a critical step in alleviating chronic electricity shortages in the country. Construction Preparations Underway The Ministry of Energy has reported steady progress in preparatory works. Infrastructure projects currently underway include the construction of access roads, power transmission lines, a substation, a bridge across the Naryn River, and a shift camp for construction workers.

Earthquake

Turkmenistan to Send Tents, Food, Other Aid to Afghanistan; Quake Toll Rises

Turkmenistan plans to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as the death toll from an earthquake there increased to more than 2,200, Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Thursday. Rashid Muradov, Turkmenistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said “urgent humanitarian assistance - including clothing, tents, medicine, and food - will soon be delivered” to Afghanistan, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on X. Muradov announced Turkmenistan’s aid plans in a telephone conversation with Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan’s foreign minister. The Afghan minister thanked Muradov and “assured that the mentioned aid will be delivered to the needy people in a timely manner,” his office said. Some international donors have previously expressed concern that the Taliban diverts aid for its own purposes rather than delivering it to those most in need. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently released a report that it said looked into how “the Taliban diverts U.S. aid dollars intended for needy Afghans and the culture of denial within the international aid community, which thwarts effective measures to mitigate that diversion.” A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern areas in Afghanistan on Sunday, and rescue efforts have been hampered by a lack of infrastructure and mountainous terrain. Kunar was the hardest hit province, and parts of Nangarhar and Laghman provinces were also affected. The Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Thursday that at least 2,205 people died and 3,640 others were injured. “Many people are trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes and rescue efforts are ongoing,” the society said. Like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan shares a border with Afghanistan and has said it is ready to help with quake relief. Central Asian countries have sent aid to Afghanistan in the past as they build ties with the Taliban and work on diversifying trade routes. Security concerns remain. Tajik border guards and Taliban fighters exchanged fire in an area along the Tajik-Afghan border on Aug. 24, though the two sides later met in an effort to reduce tensions.

Earthquake

After Afghan Quake, UNHCR Preps Relief Supplies at Uzbek Border

The border city of Termez, Uzbekistan, is becoming a logistics hub for some international efforts to provide aid to Afghanistan after an earthquake there killed more than 1,400 people and destroyed at least 5,400 homes. The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it was drawing on its resources within Afghanistan and in the region after a 6.0 magnitude quake struck near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Sunday. It said health services in Afghanistan are “overwhelmed” and that the lack of basic infrastructure in hard-hit areas was complicating rescue efforts. “UNHCR is deploying prepositioned essential relief items from stockpiles in Kabul, including tents, blankets and solar lamps,” the agency said. “We are also assessing our emergency stockpiles in the region, including in Termez, Uzbekistan, to meet further needs.” Uzbekistan expressed condolences to Afghanistan and said it was ready to help. “We stand in solidarity with the brotherly people of Afghanistan during this difficult time and reaffirm our readiness to provide all possible assistance in overcoming the consequences of this tragic natural disaster,” Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov said. After several earthquakes hit the Herat area in western Afghanistan in 2023, UNHCR sent tents and other essential items to affected families from the agency’s warehouse in Termez in an effort coordinated with the Uzbek government. The British Red Cross said more than 2,000 people died in the Herat quakes. Termez, which is about 575 kilometers by road from Jalalabad, lies on the Amu Darya River that separates Uzbekistan from Afghanistan. Soviet forces deployed in the city during the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, and NATO-led forces also used it as a logistics hub during efforts to help the Afghan government establish security after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The Taliban returned to power in 2021. Hamdullah Fitrat, a Taliban spokesman, said on X on Tuesday that the death toll from the Jalalabad area quake had risen to 1,411, and that at least 3,124 people had been injured and 5,412 houses were destroyed. “Rescue operations continue across all affected areas today. In locations where helicopters could not land, dozens of commando forces were air-dropped to pull the injured from the rubble and move them to safer ground,” he said. The spokesman also said that “several countries have announced assistance, part of which has already been delivered to emergency relief committees for distribution to earthquake victims.” Britain, India, and China are among a number of countries that have pledged or offered aid to Afghanistan to help it cope with the disaster. Besides Uzbekistan, other Central Asian countries have sent aid to Afghanistan after past deadly quakes there.

Earthquake

Afghanistan Appeals for Quake Relief; Central Asia Likely to Help

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which border Afghanistan, have often taken the lead among Central Asian countries in providing relief to Afghan communities after deadly earthquakes. Once again, Afghanistan is desperately in need after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake killed at least 800 people and injured many more in the eastern part of the country late Sunday. The Taliban government has appealed for international aid to help survivors of the quake as Afghanistan struggles with other problems, including the legacy of decades of war, a cut-off of U.S. aid for medical and other services under the administration of President Donald Trump, and the return of many Afghan citizens who were expelled from neighboring Pakistan and Iran. The death toll is likely to rise because some villages that were hit by the quake are in mountainous areas that are difficult to reach, and bad weather has hindered rescue efforts. There was devastation across four eastern provinces in Afghanistan, including Nangarhar and Kunar, according to the United Nations. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was 27 kilometers east-northeast of the Afghan city of Jalalabad, which is Nangarhar’s provincial capital and lies near the border with Pakistan. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan “expressed deep condolences to the leadership of Afghanistan in connection with the numerous human casualties as a result of the earthquake in that country,” the presidency said on Telegram. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after past earthquakes, including in 2022 and 2023, and have also helped with logistics as the United Nations and non-governmental groups transported relief supplies across their borders. Turkmenistan, which also shares a border with Afghanistan, has had involvement in such efforts as well. Central Asian countries have been building relations with Afghanistan in recent months, seeking to diversify trade routes while remaining concerned about security threats and other obstacles to stability. The Trans-Afghan Corridor construction project, for example, would provide easier access to Indian Ocean ports for regional countries. It would constitute a core railway that runs from Termez, southern Uzbekistan through Kabul, Afghanistan, and onward to Peshawar, Pakistan. Some Central Asian countries have expressed concern about human rights in Afghanistan, including the treatment of women and girls, but have not made the issue a centerpiece of their growing ties with the Taliban.

Remembrance Day

UN Backs Earthquake Victims Day, Highlighting Uzbekistan’s Seismic History

On April 29, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared a new international observance — the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes. The initiative, jointly proposed by Chile, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan, received widespread support from UN member states. The day will be commemorated annually to honor the victims of past earthquakes and raise awareness about seismic risks and disaster preparedness. Earthquakes remain among the deadliest natural disasters in human history, responsible for massive destruction and loss of life. Most recently, on March 28, a powerful earthquake in Myanmar claimed more than 3,700 lives. In Turkey and Syria, millions are still recovering from the devastating earthquakes of 2023, which killed over 55,000 people. Uzbekistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ulugbek Lapasov, stated that the declaration is not only a tribute to victims but also a global call to action. “We thank all member states who supported the resolution, as well as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for their help,” he stated. Uzbekistan has itself experienced devastating earthquakes. One of the most significant occurred in the early morning of April 26, 1966, when a powerful earthquake struck the capital city of Tashkent. The disaster left 300,000 people homeless and caused severe damage to homes, schools, hospitals, and factories. Eight people were killed, and about 150 were injured. Important documents and photographs from the 1966 disaster are preserved in the Central State Archive of Tashkent. Located in a seismically active region, Tashkent has a long history of earthquakes. Historical sources, including the writings of 19th-century historian Muhammad Solih, document earlier seismic events, such as the destructive earthquake of April 1866, which caused widespread damage to mosques and homes and many deaths. The city’s history of resilience lives on today. Many of Tashkent’s buildings, decorated with colorful mosaics, were built during the post-earthquake reconstruction.