Powerful Earthquake Kills 20, Injures Hundreds in Northern Afghanistan

A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan overnight, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 500, authorities confirmed on Monday. The tremor is the latest in a series of devastating quakes to hit the country in recent months.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at a depth of 28 kilometres (17 miles) with its epicentre near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest northern hubs.

Health ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told journalists that “534 people have been injured and more than 20 fatalities have been taken to hospitals in Samangan and Balkh provinces.”

In Mazar-i-Sharif, residents fled into the streets in panic as buildings shook violently. The city’s iconic Blue Mosque, a 15th-century landmark famous for its turquoise tiles, suffered structural damage. Portions of one of its minarets collapsed, scattering debris across the mosque grounds.

Residents in Kabul, located about 420 kilometres to the south, also reported feeling the tremor.

Poor communications and rugged terrain have hampered early rescue operations, with officials warning that the true scale of casualties and destruction could rise as teams reach remote villages.

Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said on X (formerly Twitter) that “numerous homes have been destroyed, and significant material losses have been incurred,” while the defence ministry confirmed that the main road between Mazar-i-Sharif and the town of Kholm has been reopened after being cleared of debris.

This disaster adds to the growing list of natural calamities confronting Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, which has faced three major earthquakes since seizing power in 2021. International aid has sharply declined during the same period, complicating emergency response efforts.

In August 2025, a 6.0-magnitude quake in eastern Afghanistan flattened entire villages and killed more than 2,200 people, causing an estimated $183 million in damages, according to the World Bank.

Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates collide.

Decades of war and economic hardship have left much of the country’s housing infrastructure weak and vulnerable. Most rural homes are poorly built and cannot withstand strong tremors.

The quake comes amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, worsened by drought, economic sanctions on the banking system, and mass deportations of Afghans from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.

Aid agencies and the United Nations have warned that hunger and displacement are on the rise, leaving millions at risk as winter approaches.