6.3 magnitude quake hits northern Afghanistan, leaving 7 dead, 150 injured

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring around 150 others near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, local officials confirmed.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake hit at 12:59 a.m. local time (20:29 GMT) at a depth of 28 kilometres, with the epicentre located near Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province.

Samim Joyanda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health in neighbouring Samangan province, said, “A total of 150 people have been injured and seven martyred as of this morning,” citing hospital reports.

The USGS issued an orange alert through its PAGER system, warning that significant casualties and widespread damage were likely. Past earthquakes with similar alerts have required large-scale regional or national responses.

Afghanistan’s national disaster management authority stated that detailed assessments of casualties and damage would follow later in the day. Part of the historic Blue Mosque, also known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali, in Mazar-i-Sharif was damaged by the tremor, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid confirmed.

Witnesses reported that frightened residents fled into the streets in the middle of the night as buildings shook violently.

This latest disaster adds to a series of deadly earthquakes that have struck Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. A 6.0 magnitude quake in the east of the country on August 31 this year claimed more than 2,200 lives — the deadliest in recent Afghan history. Major quakes in Herat in 2023 and Nangarhar in 2022 also killed hundreds and flattened thousands of homes.

Afghanistan, lying along the active fault lines of the Hindu Kush mountain range where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, is highly prone to seismic activity. Since 1900, the region has recorded at least 12 earthquakes exceeding a magnitude of 7.0, according to the British Geological Survey.

The country’s vulnerability is compounded by decades of conflict, severe poverty, and deteriorating infrastructure, which hinder emergency response efforts. The Taliban administration also faces mounting challenges from drought and the return of millions of displaced Afghans from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.

With agency inputs