Kabul: At least 20 people were killed and more than 320 injured after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan overnight, officials said on Monday.
The tremor, which hit at a depth of 28 kilometres, had its epicentre near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake caused significant damage in the provinces of Balkh and neighbouring Samangan. “So far, we have confirmed 20 deaths and around 320 injured, but these figures are preliminary and could rise,” health ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told reporters.
Panic gripped Mazar-i-Sharif as residents fled their homes in the middle of the night, fearing further collapses. An AFP correspondent reported that the city’s iconic Blue Mosque, a 15th-century architectural landmark, suffered visible structural damage.
The latest earthquake comes just months after another deadly series of tremors devastated parts of western Afghanistan, underscoring the country’s vulnerability to seismic disasters. Rescue operations are underway as authorities assess the full scale of destruction.
