On the night of November 3, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 struck northern Afghanistan, with tremors felt even in the country’s capital, Kabul. At least 7 people were killed and more than 150 injured. Aljazeera reports.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was recorded in the Hindu Kush region near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The epicenter was located at a depth of 28 kilometers.
Local residents ran out into the streets in the middle of the night, fearing that their houses would collapse. There were no initial reports of casualties or injuries, but by morning at least seven people had died and more than 150 were injured. The USGS had issued an orange alert, warning that significant casualties were possible and the impact of the quake could be extensive.
Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Agency said final figures on the number of casualties and the extent of damage would be released later. Haji Zaid, a spokesman for Balkh province, said the quake had damaged part of the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range. This year alone, the country has experienced two powerful earthquakes: on August 31, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people, and in October, a quake in the western province of Herat killed more than 1,500 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes.
The complex infrastructure, poverty, drought, and large numbers of people returning from Pakistan and Iran have made disaster relief efforts difficult. At least 12 earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7.0 have been recorded in northeastern Afghanistan since 1900.
