At least 20 people have died and more than 320 others injured after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early Monday, local authorities confirmed.
The quake struck near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the country’s largest cities with a population of roughly 500,000, at around 1:00 a.m. local time (20:30 GMT).
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the tremor occurred at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) and was classified at an orange alert level, signaling the likelihood of significant casualties and structural damage.
Sharafat Zaman Amar, spokesperson for the Taliban-run Ministry of Health, warned that the death toll is expected to rise as rescue and recovery operations continue.
Provincial officials reported hundreds of homes damaged, with emergency teams still combing through debris for survivors.
Haji Zaid, a Taliban spokesman in Balkh province, noted that many victims were injured after falling from tall buildings in panic.
“Many people are injured in the Sholgara district,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding that most injuries were minor but widespread.
Social media and local video reports showed debris scattered around the historic Blue Mosque, a key landmark and pilgrimage site believed to house the tomb of the first Shia Imam.
Residents described scenes of chaos and terror as buildings swayed and people fled their homes.
“Everyone ran outside. The ground was shaking so hard,” one resident told local reporters.
Authorities in Samangan province, near the quake’s epicenter, confirmed several fatalities and widespread damage in mountainous communities.
This latest tremor followed a deadly 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan in late August, which claimed more than 1,000 lives, particularly in rural areas where mud and timber homes collapsed.
Afghanistan remained highly earthquake-prone, sitting atop major fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, making disasters of this nature a recurring threat.
