6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes northern Afghanistan, killing four and injuring over 60

6.3 magnitude earthquake rocks Afghanistan, 2 months after a tremor killed over 2,000

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck northern Afghanistan early Monday, killing at least four people and injuring over 60 others, local media reported.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred in the Kholm district near Mazar-i-Sharif at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles). Tremors were felt as far away as Kabul, AFP correspondents said.

The USGS initially placed the quake’s depth at 10 kilometers before updating its estimate. The agency also warned of “significant casualties” and a “potentially widespread” disaster, though local authorities have yet to confirm any deaths or injuries. Emergency numbers were broadcast for residents to call, while in Mazar-i-Sharif, many people rushed into the streets fearing their homes might collapse, AFP reported.

This latest tremor comes just two months after a powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people on August 31 — one of the deadliest in the country’s recent history.

Afghanistan lies in a seismically active region, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates converge. “Since 1900, northeastern Afghanistan has been hit by 12 quakes with a magnitude above 7,” said Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey.

The Taliban authorities have faced multiple devastating earthquakes since returning to power in 2021, including one in the western Herat region in 2023 that killed more than 1,500 people and destroyed over 63,000 homes. Decades of conflict, poverty, and fragile infrastructure continue to compound the country’s vulnerability to such disasters.