March 19, 1997 Earthquake: Bajaur, Chitral, Pakistan
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck Bajaur, Chitral, Pakistan on March 19, 1997 at 19:57:11 UTC, 50 km below the surface. It killed 15 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
- March 19, 1997
- Time
- 19:57:11 UTC
- Place
- Bajaur, Chitral, Pakistan
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 50 km (31 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.872° N, 71.620° E
- Country
- Pakistan
The toll
- Deaths
- 15
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
Fifteen people killed, several injured and damage to houses in the Bajaur region. Felt at Chitral.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 8, 2005, Muzaffarabad, Uri, Anantnag, Baramula, Pakistan
- December 28, 1974, Balakot, Patan, Pakistan
- August 31, 2025, Kunar, Nangarhar, Afghanistan
- January 31, 1991, Badakhstan, Baghlan, Laghman, Nagarhar, Afghanistan
- February 19, 1842, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
- July 13, 1990, Pik Lenina, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- December 30, 1983, Kabul, Samangan, Pakistan, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- February 14, 2004, Balakot, Batgram, Mansehra, Pakistan
- April 16, 2009, Nangarhar, Afghanistan
- March 21, 2023, Laghman, Pakistan, Afghanistan
- April 24, 2013, Kama, Afghanistan
- April 3, 2026, Kabul, Afghanistan
- October 25, 1990, Chitral, Mardan, Malakand, Hindu Kush, Afghanistan
- July 8, 1909, Pakistan
- September 4, 2022, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, Afghanistan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent 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 5453.