KABUL, Afghanistan (BN24) — A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 500, officials said, as rescue teams raced to reach the hardest-hit areas.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was about 22 kilometers (14 miles) west-southwest of Khulm in Balkh province, striking around 12:59 a.m. local time at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles).
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, said 534 injured people and 20 bodies were brought to hospitals in Balkh and neighboring Samangan provinces. “These numbers are expected to rise as rescuers reach remote areas,” Zaman said.
In nearby Badakhshan, officials said roughly 800 houses were partially or completely destroyed in a single village in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district. Limited internet access in the mountainous region has made it difficult to determine casualties.
Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after treatment. The Ministry of Defense announced that emergency teams had reached the affected zones in Balkh and Samangan, transporting the injured and assisting with rescue operations.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the quake caused “casualties and significant financial losses,” and that government agencies were mobilized to deliver aid.
Footage from Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, showed residents rushing into the streets as the ground shook. The city’s historic Blue Mosque, one of Afghanistan’s most revered religious landmarks, sustained visible damage as bricks and tiles fell from one of its minarets, though the main structure remained standing.
The tremor was also felt in Kabul and several other provinces. Authorities said a rockslide temporarily blocked the main highway between Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif but was cleared hours later, allowing trapped motorists to be rescued.
The United Nations in Afghanistan said on X that its emergency teams were assessing damage and delivering relief supplies. “We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support,” the U.N. mission said.
Monday’s disaster comes just weeks after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, killing more than 2,200 people. In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude quake and its aftershocks killed about 4,000 people in western Herat province.
Afghanistan’s ability to respond to natural disasters remains limited, with poorly built homes and fragile infrastructure compounding the destruction. Most rural houses are made from mud bricks and timber, leaving them highly vulnerable to collapse.
Since the Taliban seized control in 2021, the country has faced repeated crises — from earthquakes and drought to economic collapse — as foreign aid, once the backbone of the Afghan economy, has sharply declined.
According to the World Bank, the August 2024 quake caused more than $183 million in damage. The U.N. and humanitarian agencies have warned that hunger and displacement continue to rise across Afghanistan, where millions are still struggling to recover from years of war and disaster.
