A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others, 25 critically, a disaster management official said. Health officials said the numbers could rise.
The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was located 22km (14 miles) south-west of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12.59am at a depth of 28km (17 miles).
In August, an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people.
The impoverished country often faces difficulty in responding to such natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Buildings tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood, many poorly built.
Monday’s earthquake was also felt in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the northern Balkh province, Afghan officials said, where footage on social media showed slight damage to the historic Blue Mosque. Several bricks fell from the walls but the mosque remained intact. The centuries-old site, one of Afghanistan’s most revered religious landmarks, is a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.
The deputy spokesperson for Afghanistan’s national disaster management authority, Qari Taj Mohammad Hemat, said the earthquake had struck Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, and Kunduz provinces and had left 20 people dead and 643 others injured, 25 in critical condition.
Earlier, Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the ministry of public health, said the dead and more than 500 of the injured had been brought to hospitals in Balkh and Samangan provinces. Rescuers were on the scene and the figures were changing, he added.
In the nearby province of Badakhshan, the quake partly or completely destroyed 800 houses in one village in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district, said Ihsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the provincial police headquarters. But with a lack of internet in the remote area, there were still no accurate casualty figures, he added.
Yousaf Hammad, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, said most of the injured sustained minor wounds and were discharged after treatment.
In Khulm, near the epicentre, people dug through the rubble of collapsed mud brick homes with shovels and picked through debris to salvage what belongings they could.
“It was one o’clock in the morning, and there was a strong earthquake. When I came out, the houses were destroyed and the air was very polluted,” said Ahmad Zia, a local resident. “We were busy rescuing the injured. We pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble, and their funerals will be held today.”
Another resident, Abdul Mubin, said he had been sleeping in his shop when the earthquake struck. “I saw that everything was destroyed. People had suffered a lot of financial losses,” he said. “Many people’s houses were destroyed and their household goods were under the rubble.”
In the Afghan capital, Kabul, the defence ministry announced that rescue and emergency teams had reached the quake areas in Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage. The teams were transporting the injured and assisting others, it said.
The Taliban government’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, posted on X that the earthquake had caused casualties and financial loss. He said government organisations were working to get the help needed.
The quake was also felt in Kabul and several other provinces. The defence ministry said a rockslide briefly blocked a main mountain highway linking Kabul with Mazar-i-Sharif, but the road was later reopened. It said some people who were injured and trapped along the highway were transported to hospital.
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, expressed his sorrow and grief over the loss of lives. He offered condolences to the families of the victims, prayed for the swift recovery of the injured, and said Pakistan stood with the Afghan people at this difficult time.
The two countries are engaged in rounds of peace talks amid heightened tension after deadly clashes on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of sheltering members of the Pakistani Taliban and failing to curb cross-border attacks. Afghan officials reject the allegations, saying they seek good relations. Another round of peace talks is scheduled for this week in Istanbul, Turkey.
The UN in Afghanistan said on X that its teams were on the ground assessing needs and delivering urgent aid. “We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support,” the post said.
A magnitude 6 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on 31 August near the border with Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people. On 7 October 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.
