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At least seven people were killed after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near a northern Afghan city early on Monday. The earthquake hit Kholm near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Hindu Kush at around 12.49am local time. It was located at a depth of around 28km, according to the US Geological Survey. The American agency issued an orange alert to warn of "significant casualties" and "potentially widespread" disaster. "A total of 150 people injured and seven martyred have been reported and transferred to health centres as of this morning," Samim Joyanda, a spokesperson for the health department in Samangan, a mountainous province near Mazar-e Sharif told Reuters. Afghanistan's disaster management agency said the deaths and injuries were reported in Samangan province, while strong tremors were felt as far as the capital Kabul. The earthquake destroyed a part of the holy shrine of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said, referring to the Blue Mosque. The mosque, a popular pilgrimage site, is believed to house the tomb of the first Shia Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib. In a post on X, Mr Zaid said the government had received "reports of minor injuries and superficial damages from all districts of the province". He added that most of the injuries were caused by people falling from tall buildings. Footage of rescue work being carried out to save people trapped under rubble and images of fallen debris in buildings were shared on social media. One video showed rescuers pulling what appeared to be dead bodies from rubble. Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to earthquakes as it sits on two major active faults that can potentially rupture and cause extensive damage. A powerful earthquake and a series of aftershocks in August killed thousands of people in the country. In 2015, a strong earthquake struck the country’s northeast, killing several hundred people there and across the border in Pakistan. Another quake in 2023 killed at least 1,000 people.
