July 29, 1985 Earthquake: Chitral, Swat, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Chitral, Swat, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan on July 29, 1985 at 07:54:44 UTC, 99 km below the surface. It killed 5 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 29, 1985
- Time
- 07:54:44 UTC
- Place
- Chitral, Swat, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 99 km (62 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.190° N, 70.896° E
- Country
- Afghanistan
The toll
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 38
- Damage
- $2 million
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #1053 lists earthquake on July 29, 1985 in the Hindu Kush region. At least 5 people killed, 38 injured, and considerable damage and landslides in the Chitral and Swat districts, Pakistan. Damage (VIII) and many homeless in the Khorag-Ishkashim area. Damage (VII) in the Dushanbe area. Extensive damage in the Kurgan-Tyube rea.
Reference #1250 lists earthquake in 1985, $2 million damage. [probably describing the earthquake on July 29]
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 30, 1998, Badakhshan, Takhar, Afghanistan
- February 4, 1998, Dushanbe, Rostaq, Tajikistan, Afghanistan
- August 31, 2025, Kunar, Nangarhar, Afghanistan
- March 25, 2002, Baghlan, Nahrin, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- January 31, 1991, Badakhstan, Baghlan, Laghman, Nagarhar, Afghanistan
- December 16, 1982, Northeastern, Afghanistan
- October 26, 2015, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 3, 2002, Samanghan, Kabul, Rustaq, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- June 11, 2012, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- July 13, 1990, Pik Lenina, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- December 30, 1983, Kabul, Samangan, Pakistan, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- March 21, 2023, Laghman, Pakistan, Afghanistan
- April 24, 2013, Kama, Afghanistan
- March 19, 1997, Bajaur, Chitral, Pakistan
- April 3, 2026, Kabul, Afghanistan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1985The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1985Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5070.