Death toll from Afghan quake rises to 20

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 140 injured as a result of a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan, Afghanistan International cited a Facebook statement from Mawlawi Ahmadullah Wasiq, chairman of the National Olympic Committee and the Taliban government's Directorate of Physical Culture and Sports, Report informs.

The official noted that the greatest damage and casualties were recorded in the northern provinces of Samangan and Balkh, particularly in the city of Tashkurgan.

"The earthquake's aftershocks were very strong, and the death toll may rise," Ahmadullah Wasiq wrote.

08:21

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring about 150, provincial authorities said on Monday, Report informs via Reuters.

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000.

"A total of 150 people injured and seven martyred have been reported and transferred to health centers as of this morning," said Samim Joyanda, the spokesperson for the health department in Samangan, a mountainous northern province near Mazar-e Sharif told Reuters.

The toll was based on hospital reports collected as of Monday morning, he said.

The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER system, which is an automated system that produces information on the impact of earthquakes, and indicated that "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread."

Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response, the system's alert added.

The earthquake destroyed part of the holy shrine of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said, referring to the Blue Mosque.

Videos of rescue efforts being carried out to save people trapped under rubble and images of fallen debris in buildings were shared on the social media platform X.

One video showed rescuers pulling what appeared to be dead bodies from rubble.