At least 20 dead and 150 injured after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan | World news

The Taliban said that at least 20 people were killed after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan.

The earthquake was recorded near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, in the northern Balkh province, at around 12.59am on Monday (8.29pm in the UK).

The Taliban Ministry of Health added that 320 people were injured, while ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said that the number of dead and wounded may rise.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued an orange alert for its system for the earthquake's impacts, noting that “significant casualties are likely and a large-scale disaster is likely.”

Photo: A rescuer works following an earthquake in an unknown location in Afghanistan. Photo: Afghan Red Crescent – Reuters

Previous events at this alert level have required a regional or national response, according to the USGS alert system.

Balkh province spokesman Hajj Zaid added that the earthquake destroyed part of the city's holy shrine, known as the Blue Mosque.

Image: Soldiers recover debris after an earthquake in Mazar-i-Sharif, northern Afghanistan. Photo: Hajj Zaid Photo: Damage to the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif. Photography: Hajj Zaid

The United Nations in Afghanistan said on the 10th that it was on the ground to assess needs and provide aid, and that: “We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support.”

Mazar-i-Sharif is the fifth largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 523,000 people.

Lying on two major active fault lines, Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes: more than 1,400 people were killed and at least 3,250 injured after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern regions of the country in September.

This earthquake destroyed villages in the Mazar Dara Valley, which Sky Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch visited in October.

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2:25 October: A boy remembers being saved from the earthquake, but losing his brother

In 2015, an earthquake struck northeastern Afghanistan, killing several hundred people in Afghanistan and neighboring northern Pakistan.

Read more from Sky News: The father of a man who disappeared 12 years ago believes his son was murdered. Two suspects in Louvre jewelery heist 'convicted of theft in 2015'

Four major earthquakes also struck Herat Province in 2023, each measuring 6.3 magnitude. The Taliban said at the time that at least 2,445 people had been killed.

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