A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan before dawn on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 320. Earlier reports mentioned 260 injuries, but the toll rose as rescuers pulled more victims from collapsed buildings.
Balkh and Samangan provinces faced the worst damage, said health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman. Homes and shops crumbled, leaving families trapped under debris. Emergency teams rushed to the scene, digging through rubble with locals to find survivors.
Videos shared by the Defence Ministry showed heartbreaking efforts to recover bodies. Hospitals in both provinces filled quickly as more injured arrived.
The historic Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif also suffered partial damage. Some bricks fell from its bright blue walls, but the centuries-old structure remained standing.
A rockslide briefly blocked the Kabul–Mazar highway after the quake, though officials reopened the road soon after. Several injured travelers received treatment in nearby hospitals.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre lay 22 kilometres west-southwest of Khulm, at a depth of 28 kilometres. Afghanistan’s rugged terrain makes it highly quake-prone, with more than 350 earthquakes above magnitude 5 recorded since 1990.
