A 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Afghanistan, killing 20 people and damaging the historic Blue Mosque.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others, as well as damaging the historic Blue Mosque, officials said.

Officials said the number of dead and wounded could rise.

In the town of Kholm, close to the epicenter, people dug through the rubble of collapsed mud-brick houses using shovels and retrieved the debris to salvage what possessions they could.

A local resident, Ahmed Zia, said that the air is polluted due to dust rising from the rubble of houses. He added: “We recovered the bodies of two people from under the rubble, and their funeral will be held today.”

Footage posted on social media from Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, showed several pieces of brick falling from the walls of the Blue Mosque, but its structure remained intact. The centuries-old site is one of Afghanistan's most revered religious monuments and is a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.

Destruction of the historic Blue Mosque after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan in Mazar-i-Sharif on Monday. Photo by Sirat Nouri/AP Photo

The poor country often has difficulty responding to such natural disasters, especially in remote areas. Buildings tend to be low-rise construction, mostly concrete and brick, with houses in rural and remote areas built of mud brick and timber, many of them poorly constructed.

In August, an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 2,200 people.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed

The US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the earthquake was located 22 kilometers (14 miles) west-southwest of the town of Kholm, and that it occurred at 12:59 a.m. at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles).

Deputy spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, Qari Taj Muhammad Hemat, said that the earthquake struck Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul and Kunduz provinces, killing 20 people and injuring 643 others, including 25 in critical condition.

Earlier, Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said that the dead and more than 500 of the injured were transferred to hospitals in Balkh and Samangan provinces. He added that rescuers are at the scene and that the numbers are changing.

In neighboring Badakhshan province, the earthquake partially or completely destroyed 800 homes in one village in the Shahr Bozorg district, said Ehsanullah Kamjar, spokesman for the provincial police headquarters. He added that with the lack of Internet in the remote area, there are still no accurate numbers of victims.

Yousef Hammad, spokesman for the Afghan Disaster Management Agency, said that most of the injured suffered minor injuries and were discharged from hospital after treatment.

Abdul Mubin, a resident of Kholm, said he was sleeping in his shop when the earthquake struck. “I saw everything destroyed,” he said. “People suffered a lot of financial losses.” “Many people’s homes have been destroyed and their household belongings are under the rubble.”

Rockslide briefly blocks the highway

The Ministry of Defense announced that rescue and emergency teams arrived in the earthquake areas in Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the greatest amount of damage. She added that the teams are transporting the injured and helping others.

The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, posted on the X website that government organizations were working to obtain the necessary assistance.

The earthquake was felt by residents of the capital, Kabul, and several other provinces. The Defense Ministry said a rockslide briefly closed a main mountain road linking Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif, but the road was later reopened. She added that some people who were injured and trapped along the highway were taken to hospital.

In Islamabad, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the loss of life. In a statement, he offered his condolences to the families of the victims, prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured, and said that Pakistan stands with the Afghan people in this difficult time.

His statement came at a time when the two countries were holding rounds of peace talks amid escalating tension after bloody clashes on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan that left dozens of soldiers and civilians on both sides dead. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of harboring members of the Pakistani Taliban and failing to curb cross-border attacks. Afghan officials reject these accusations, saying they seek to establish good relations. Another round of peace talks is scheduled to be held this week in Istanbul, Turkey.

The United Nations in Afghanistan said on the 10th that its teams are on the ground to assess needs and provide urgent aid.

“We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support,” the post read.

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31 near the border with Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people. On October 7, 2023, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake followed by strong aftershocks killed at least 4,000 people, according to the Taliban government.

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

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