Afghanistan is exposed to a deadly earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude – DW – 03/11/2025

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck northern Afghanistan early Monday morning near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province.

Health authorities said that at least 20 people were killed in the earthquake and 320 others were injured.

Dozens of infections have been reported in Balkh and Samangan provincesPhoto: Atef Arian/AFP/Getty Images

Casualty figures are expected to rise on Monday as rescue efforts continue.

The Afghan Red Crescent said that rescue teams and medical teams arrived in the affected areas.

What else do we know about earthquakes?

The quake occurred just before 1 a.m. local time on Monday (8:30 p.m. GMT) at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) about 22 kilometers from Kholm, near Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

About 65,000 people live in Kholm, while about 523,000 people live in Mazar-i-Sharif, the fifth largest city in Afghanistan.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, many people rushed to the streets in the middle of the night, fearing that their homes would collapse, an Agence France-Presse correspondent reported.

Agence France-Presse reported that the city's famous Blue Mosque, a 15th-century landmark, was damaged by the earthquake.

The US Geological Survey issued an orange alert on its automated PAGER system, meaning “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is likely to be widespread.”

Monday's earthquake comes just two months after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 2,200 people.

In the August earthquake, many adobe houses were severely damaged or destroyed causing a large number of casualties. Photo: AFP Why is Afghanistan vulnerable to earthquakes?

Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, especially along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.

These attacks kill about 560 people in Afghanistan on average every year, according to Reuters news agency, and cause annual damage estimated at $80 million (69 million euros).

Studies indicate that at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5.0 have struck Afghanistan since 1990.

In addition, many modest Afghan homes are built of mud brick. This makes it vulnerable to earthquake damage.

Weak infrastructure linking remote areas also hampers rescue efforts after natural disasters such as earthquakes.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a report issued in September that Afghanistan was already facing multiple crises, including severe drought and the return of millions of Afghans from neighboring countries.

Edited by: Carl Sexton

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