At least 20 people have been killed and more than 530 injured after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early Monday.
By Nathan Morley
At least 20 people were killed and more than 530 injured after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early Monday, according to the Taliban government’s health ministry.
Authorities ordered hospitals to prepare for an influx of patients as rescue efforts continued.
Provincial officials warned that the death toll could rise due to poor communication networks and fragile infrastructure, with many buildings in the region not built to withstand seismic activity.
The 6.3 magnitude quake – which struck at 1am – hit near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities with a population of about 500,000.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a depth of 28 kilometers.
The tremor triggered widespread power outages, including in the capital, Kabul, after electricity lines from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan—major suppliers to Afghanistan—were damaged.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on social media that it was on the ground supporting rescue operations.
Afghanistan is prone to seismic activity.
Monday’s quake follows a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in the country’s mountainous eastern region in late August that killed more than 1,100 people.
