Significant M5.6 Earthquake struck on Monday Afternoon 24mi from China.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 19th, 2026. Last updated January 27th, 2026.

Around noon of Monday January 19th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.6 earthquake hit 24 miles from China. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 2.7 million people. Pakistan and Tajikistan are also near its epicenter.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake struck 24 miles (38 km) from China The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 19, 2026 12:21 (Urumqi Time) - Jan 19, 2026 06:21 Universal Time.
Location:	293 km north of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Coordinates 36°42'20"N 74°26'55"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2.7 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 2.7 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,040 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 2.2 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Pakistan , around 2.6 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). A smaller number of people were exposed in the following countries: China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
7,610	II	Very weak	None
2,190,000	III	Weak	Probably none
512,300	IV	Light	Likely none
1,040	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

4 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: China , Pakistan and Tajikistan . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in India.

Huoshilafu in Xinjiang, China is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 237 kilometer (147 mi) west-southwest of Huoshilafu. The intensity of shaking and damage in Huoshilafu is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Srinagar is located 293 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Battagram is located 260 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Muzaffarābād is located 274 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
237 km (147 mi) ENE from epicenter	Huoshilafu Xinjiang, China.	III Weak
241 km (150 mi) SW from epicenter	Thal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
253 km (157 mi) W from epicenter	Ishqoshim Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.
255 km (158 mi) S from epicenter	Bandipura Jammu and Kashmir, India.
256 km (159 mi) NE from epicenter	Kaqun Xinjiang, China.
260 km (162 mi) SSW from epicenter	Battagram Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
269 km (167 mi) S from epicenter	Sopur Jammu and Kashmir, India.
271 km (168 mi) WNW from epicenter	Khorugh Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.
274 km (170 mi) SSW from epicenter	Muzaffarābād Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.
277 km (172 mi) S from epicenter	Gāndarbal Jammu and Kashmir, India.
278 km (173 mi) S from epicenter	Bāramūla Jammu and Kashmir, India.
285 km (177 mi) SW from epicenter	Upper Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
285 km (177 mi) SW from epicenter	Mingora Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
287 km (178 mi) SSW from epicenter	Mansehra Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
291 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter	Qarek Xinjiang, China.
293 km (182 mi) S from epicenter	Soyībug Jammu and Kashmir, India.
293 km (182 mi) S from epicenter	Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir, India.
299 km (186 mi) NE from epicenter	Zepu Xinjiang, China.
300 km (186 mi) NE from epicenter	Wudalike Xinjiang, China.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 3 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Pakistan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Hunza, Northern Areas, Pakistan: 1 person.
Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan: 1 person.
Gilgit, Northern Areas, Pakistan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 19th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 293 km (182 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on February 23rd, 2023.

In total, 7 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every year.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 27/01/26 00:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.