Deadly 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northern Afghanistan, Leaving Over 20 Dead and Hundreds Injured

Following a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan, at least 20 people have died and more than 320 have been injured. The earthquake struck on Monday morning in the provinces of Samangan and Balkh, causing power outages in Kabul and several northern provinces…

Details of casualties and damages

The Taliban Ministry of Public Health has announced that, according to preliminary statistics, more than 20 people have died and nearly 320 others have been injured.

Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for this ministry, said in a video message that all hospitals have been instructed to be on full alert to assist the injured.

According to local reports, the intensity of the earthquake in the provinces of Samangan, Balkh, and Baghlan was greater than in other areas.

Power outages and infrastructure damage

The Breshna Company, which operates under Taliban control, has announced that the earthquake has caused the outages of power lines imported from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

As a result, electricity has been cut off in Kabul city and the provinces along the path of these lines. Officials from Breshna have confirmed that the process of repairing and reconnecting electricity is underway.

Different statistics from Samangan

Samim Joyenda, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Public Health Directorate in Samangan, has stated that at least 20 people have died in this province and 200 others have been injured.

According to Qari Lutfullah Habibi, head of the Taliban’s Public Health in Samangan, one person has died in the city of Aybak, the provincial center, and more than a hundred have been injured.

In the Khulm district, six people have died and more than seventy have been injured, and in the Hazrat Sultan district, one death and fifteen injuries have been reported.

Magnitude of the earthquake and tremor range

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake’s magnitude has been recorded at 6.3 with a depth of 28 kilometers.

The epicenter of this earthquake was located near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province. Tremors from this earthquake were felt in Kabul, Takhar, Kunduz, Faryab, and Sar-e Pol as well.

Reopening of the Kabul–Mazar-i-Sharif highway

The Bakhtar news agency has reported that the Kabul–Mazar-i-Sharif highway, which had been closed due to a landslide in the Tangi Tashqurghan area, has been reopened with the efforts of Taliban Ministry of Defense forces.

A history of deadly earthquakes

More than two months ago, on August 31, a devastating earthquake occurred in eastern Afghanistan that, according to official Taliban statistics, resulted in over 2,200 deaths and nearly four thousand injuries.

Experts warn that the vulnerability of Afghanistan’s infrastructure continues to keep the risk of heavy casualties in similar earthquakes high.