- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the north of Afghanistan.
- The epicenter was located near Mazár-e Sharif at a depth of 28 kilometers.
- The earthquake claimed at least 10 lives and injured 260.
- The provinces of Balch and Samangan were the hardest hit, they started rescue operations.
A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 hit the north of Afghanistan on Monday night Richter scale, reported the US Geological Survey (USGS). Two months ago, similar strong earthquakes in the east of the country killed more than 2,000 people, writes TASR based on reports from Reuters, DPA and AFP.
An earthquake with an epicenter at a depth of approximately 28 kilometers was recorded near the city of Mazár-e Sharif on Monday at 00:59. local time (Sunday 21:29 CET). The extent of the damage was not immediately known. According to information from local authorities, Živel has already claimed at least 10 lives and injured more than 260 people. At the same time, the authorities warned that the number of victims is likely to increase in the coming hours and days.
The Taliban-run Afghan Ministry of Defense said the earthquake hit the strongest northern provinces of Balkh and Samangan. In response, the department immediately launched a large-scale rescue operation. In late August of this year, one of the deadliest earthquakes in Afghanistan’s history killed around 2,200 people and injured more than 3,600 around the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province.
Afghanistan is often affected by earthquakes, especially around the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet. According to Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey (BGS), northeast Afghanistan has been hit by 12 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 7 since 1900.
