KABUL: A massive earthquake has hit Afghanistan’s area causing deaths according to the initial report.
At least eight people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, according to local authorities, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
Around 180 others were injured, said Samin Joyenda, a health department spokesman from a nearby province, according to media reports.
The quake hit the city of Mazar-e-Sharif — home to about 500,000 residents — in the early hours of Monday, around 01:00 local time (20:30 GMT).
The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3 and a depth of 28km (17 miles). It was issued an orange alert level, indicating that significant casualties were likely.
Haji Zaid, a Taliban spokesman in Balkh province — where Mazar-e-Sharif is located — wrote on X that “many people are injured” in the Sholgara district, just south of the city.
He added that there were reports of minor injuries and light structural damage from other districts. “Most of the injuries were caused by people falling from tall buildings,” he said.
Witnesses reported that many residents rushed into the streets in panic as tremors shook the city, fearing their homes might collapse.
Footage shared by the Taliban spokesman showed debris scattered around the Blue Mosque, a well-known landmark in Mazar-e-Sharif believed to contain the tomb of the first Shia Imam.
The mosque is a major religious site where pilgrims gather for prayer and celebrations.
Khalid Zadran, a Taliban police spokesman in Kabul, said on X that security teams were “closely monitoring the situation.”
Additional fatalities were also reported in the nearby mountainous province of Samangan.
Monday’s quake follows a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan’s eastern region in late August, claiming over 1,000 lives.
That disaster proved especially deadly because many rural homes made of mud and timber collapsed, trapping residents inside.
Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to earthquakes due to its position on several fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge.
