20 Dead, Hundreds Injured After Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan

A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude struck northern Afghanistan late Sunday night, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 500, officials confirmed.

The tremor comes just two months after a devastating series of quakes claimed over 2,000 lives in what was described as the deadliest earthquake event in the country’s modern history.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake struck at a depth of 28 kilometers near the town of Kholm in Samangan province, close to the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province.

Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Health, said in a video message that about 534 people were injured and more than 20 killed in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan. The National Disaster Management Authority added that most casualties were reported in Samangan, with 25 of the injured in critical condition.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, the historic Blue Mosque, a 15th-century landmark and one of Afghanistan’s most famous tourist attractions, suffered structural damage. Stones fell from the mosque’s minaret and scattered across the courtyard. The Ministry of Information and Culture said immediate steps would be taken to assess and repair the damage.

In the village of Tashqurghan in Kholm district, residents searched through debris as they worked to clear the wreckage. One resident, Ahmad Khan, said that nearly all the houses were damaged and several people were injured.

Afghanistan, situated at the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, is prone to frequent seismic activity. Since 1900, the northeastern region of the country has experienced at least 12 earthquakes exceeding magnitude 7, according to seismologist Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey.