A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early Monday native time, in keeping with the USGS and native authorities, sparking fears of mass casualties and the necessity for a widespread response.
“Based mostly on preliminary info, the magnitude of the earthquake was greater than 6, and the epicenter was within the Nakhchir district of Samangan province,” the Afghanistan Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Authority stated in an announcement.
Afghan Well being Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman stated greater than 20 individuals have been killed and about 320 injured within the Balkh and Samangan provinces, French information company AFP reported. He emphasised that it was an preliminary toll.
Haji Zahid, a Balkh province spokesperson, shared a video on X exhibiting individuals digging with shovels to attempt to rescue survivors.
Afghan Purple Crescent / Handout by way of Reuters
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude of 6.3 with a depth of 28.0 km (about 17 miles) and designated the earthquake as “code orange,” indicating important casualties and in depth financial losses are possible, requiring a national-level response, the USGS stated.
Movies launched seem to indicate the jolt lasting nearly 20 seconds, and the earthquake was so highly effective that individuals felt it within the capital of Kabul and different provinces.
Afghanistan Ministry of Protection / Handout by way of Reuters 
The quake additionally broken the famed Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif, in keeping with AFP.
The earthquake additionally triggered a landslide on Samangan-Balkh freeway, a key transport route, trapping automobiles and passengers. Movies shared on social media depict large rocks blocking the freeway and a truck engulfed in flames.
Monday’s quake was simply the most recent within the area that has many. Greater than 2,000 individuals died when a temblor struck jap Afghanistan in August. Most of these affected nonetheless reside in tents, in keeping with a latest United Nations report.
