Kabul (TDI): A powerful earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan, causing at least 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries, while triggering widespread damage and disruptions across the region.
According to the US Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.3 quake struck at a depth of approximately 28 kilometers near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province early on Monday.
Health officials in Afghanistan reported the death toll at 20, with around 320 people wounded so far, though they warned that these numbers could rise as rescue teams access more remote affected areas.
The provinces of Balkh and Samangan were among the worst hit, with the provincial capital Mazar-e-Sharif reporting casualties and structural damage. In the village of Chogani in Badakhshan’s Shahr-e-Bozorg district, some 800 houses were reportedly partially destroyed.
The quake knocked out key electricity transmission lines from neighboring countries, leaving large swathes of the country, including provinces such as Kabul, Baghlan, Panjshir, Kapisa, Logar, Paktia, Ghazni and Maidan Wardak, without power.
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The national power utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), said its technical teams are working to restore service while the Afghan Red Crescent Society warned of “heavy financial losses.”
One of the landmark casualties of the quake was damage to the historic Blue Mosque (Shrine of Hazrat Ali) in Mazar-e-Sharif; a revered site believed to contain the burial of the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. Although the main structure remains erect, broken masonry and tiles were seen in the courtyard.
Afghanistan lies along two active fault lines, making it particularly vulnerable to strong earthquakes. Earlier this year, in August, a magnitude 6.0 quake hit Kunar province, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying hundreds of homes.
The current disaster poses a serious challenge for the country’s health and rescue infrastructure amid a time of economic strain and political instability under the ruling Taliban.
Authorities have placed all hospitals on high alert, dispatched rescue and health teams to the field, and initiated road-clearing operations where landslides had blocked access.
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