At least 20 dead as 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Afghanistan

At least 20 people have died following a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan. The US Geological Survey said that the quake's epicentre was located 22 km west-southwest of Khulm, Afghanistan, and had a depth of 28 km, adding that it struck at 12:59 am Monday (November 3) local time.

According to Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, the earthquake killed at least 20 people and injured 320 others.

However, Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after receiving initial treatment.

Rescue teams reach affected areas

The Defence Ministry of the Taliban government said that rescue and emergency aid teams have rushed to the affected areas affected by last night's earthquake in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage, and have begun rescue operations, including transporting the injured and assisting affected families.

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Taking to X, the Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a post on X platform said the earthquake hit Afghanistan's Balkh, Samangan and Baghlan provinces, causing casualties and financial loss.

He expressed grief over the losses and said relevant governmental organisations were busy trying to get needed help to the people affected by the quake.

US agency warns 'potentially widespread disaster'

According to a BBC report, the earthquake struck near the city of Mazar-e Sharif, one of Afghanistan's largest cities. The report further stated that the US Geological Survey has warned of "significant casualties" and "potentially widespread" disaster.

Earlier, a Taliban spokesperson Haji Zaid, in Balkh province, of which Mazar-e Sharif is the capital, stated in a post on X that four people have died and several others were injured.

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Zaid, in an earlier post, stated that they had received “reports of minor injuries and superficial damages from all districts of the province".

"Most of the injuries were caused by people falling from tall buildings," he added as quoted by the BBC.

Panic among residents

The city of Mazar-e Sharif has a population of about 50,000 people. When the earthquake struck, the residents rushed out to the streets, fearing that their houses would collapse, reported AFP.

A video posted by a Taliban spokesperson in Balkh showed what appears to be debris strewn across the ground at the Blue Mosque, a local landmark in the city.

Police monitoring situation

The tomb of a Shia Imam is believed to be located in the building where people now gather to pray and celebrate religious events.

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Khalid Zadran, a Taliban spokesman for the police in Kabul, stated in a post on X that police were "closely monitoring the situation".

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake on Aug 31, 2025, in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border killed more than 2,200 people. On Oct 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, followed by strong aftershocks, left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.

(With agency inputs)