At least 20 people have died after an earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, local authorities say, with the toll expected to rise as rescue efforts continue. Hundreds have also been left injured, local officials told the BBC.
The earthquake struck near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the country's largest cities that is home to about 500,000 people, at around 01:00 local time on Monday, (20:30 GMT on Sunday). It had a magnitude of 6.3 and a depth of 28km (17 miles), according to the US Geological Survey, marked at the orange alert level, indicating 'significant casualties' are likely.
More than 530 people have been injured, according to the Taliban government health ministry. Provincial officials earlier told the BBC that casualties were likely to rise as rescue efforts continued.
Haji Zaid, a Taliban spokesman in Balkh province wrote earlier on X that 'many people are injured' in the Sholgara district, south of Mazar-e-Sharif. He said they had received 'reports of minor injuries and superficial damages from all districts of the province.'
The quake led to a power outage across the country, including in the capital city Kabul, after electricity lines from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan—major suppliers of power to Afghanistan—were damaged. Many of Mazar-e Sharif's residents rushed to the streets when the quake struck, fearing their houses would collapse.
The Taliban spokesman in Balkh posted a video on X appearing to show debris strewn across the ground at the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif, a site of significance for Shia Muslims.
Authorities expect the death toll to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. Afghanistan's vulnerability to earthquakes is exacerbated by its location along major tectonic fault lines, and past disasters have shown the challenges faced in disaster response due to poor infrastructure.
The earthquake struck near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the country's largest cities that is home to about 500,000 people, at around 01:00 local time on Monday, (20:30 GMT on Sunday). It had a magnitude of 6.3 and a depth of 28km (17 miles), according to the US Geological Survey, marked at the orange alert level, indicating 'significant casualties' are likely.
More than 530 people have been injured, according to the Taliban government health ministry. Provincial officials earlier told the BBC that casualties were likely to rise as rescue efforts continued.
Haji Zaid, a Taliban spokesman in Balkh province wrote earlier on X that 'many people are injured' in the Sholgara district, south of Mazar-e-Sharif. He said they had received 'reports of minor injuries and superficial damages from all districts of the province.'
The quake led to a power outage across the country, including in the capital city Kabul, after electricity lines from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan—major suppliers of power to Afghanistan—were damaged. Many of Mazar-e Sharif's residents rushed to the streets when the quake struck, fearing their houses would collapse.
The Taliban spokesman in Balkh posted a video on X appearing to show debris strewn across the ground at the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif, a site of significance for Shia Muslims.
Authorities expect the death toll to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. Afghanistan's vulnerability to earthquakes is exacerbated by its location along major tectonic fault lines, and past disasters have shown the challenges faced in disaster response due to poor infrastructure.
