**At Least 20 Killed and Hundreds Injured After 6.3-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northern Afghanistan**
*PESHAWAR, Pakistan* — At least 20 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in Afghanistan following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the northern part of the country early Monday, the ruling Taliban authorities reported.
The death toll could rise as rescue teams continue to arrive and assess the damage, said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry. He added that at least 320 people have been injured so far.
The earthquake struck near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, at a depth of approximately 17 miles just before 1 a.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS issued an orange alert under its automated system for assessing earthquake impacts, signaling that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.” Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national-level response.
Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, is home to over 500,000 residents. The quake also affected neighboring northern provinces including Samangan and Baghlan, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Rescue efforts are underway, with footage shared by Afghanistan’s national defense ministry showing rescuers pulling civilians, including a child, from under collapsed mud-brick homes using their bare hands.
The United Nations in Afghanistan has deployed teams on the ground to deliver aid. In a post on X, the UN expressed solidarity with the affected communities and pledged to provide necessary support.
Afghanistan is highly susceptible to earthquakes due to its location along fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Recent years have seen multiple deadly quakes in the region: a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on August 31, 2023, in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people, while a 6.3-magnitude quake and aftershocks in 2023’s western province of Herat resulted in approximately 1,500 deaths. Additionally, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan in 2022 claimed about 1,000 lives.
The United Nations has highlighted that ongoing challenges, including a shortage of international aid and Taliban restrictions on female staff, have hampered effective aid delivery in the country.
Monday’s earthquake marks the fourth major tremor in Afghanistan since the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in 2021.
*Reported by Mushtaq Yusufzai from Peshawar and Mithil Aggarwal from Hong Kong.*
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/powerful-earthquake-kills-least-20-people-northern-afghanistan-rcna241524
