KABUL (Reuters) -A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the city’s historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, a city of around 523,000 people famous for its shrines and historic sites.
Mohammad Rahim, a survivor in Tashqurghan district close to the quake’s epicentre, said the earth shook violently for around 15 seconds.
“When we finally got outside, there was so much dust in the air that we couldn’t see anything,” he told Reuters while standing in front of a collapsed building.
His mother and brother, who were both trapped in the rubble, were eventually freed by rescue workers and other locals, he said.
CASUALTIES REACH INTO HUNDREDS
At least 20 people were killed and 643 were injured, 25 of them seriously, according to preliminary figures from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.
“Our rescue and health teams have arrived in the area, and all nearby hospitals have been put on standby by the leadership to treat the injured,” Health Ministry spokesperson Sharfat Zaman said.
Footage released by the Afghan Ministry of Defence showed military rescue teams digging through rubble and pulling the body of a young girl from the dirt. Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and date of the images.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said in a post on social media platform X it was on the ground supporting rescue efforts.
“We stand with the affected communities and will provide necessary support,” the post said.
India, which has been seeking to reset relations with the Taliban after severing diplomatic ties following their 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, also pledged support.
“Indian relief material for the earthquake impacted communities is being handed over today. Further supplies of medicines to reach soon,” Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a post on X.
BLUE MOSQUE
The earthquake damaged part of the Blue Mosque, considered one of the holiest sites in Afghanistan and believed to be the burial site of the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said.
The current structure was built in the 15th century.
Footage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed broken masonry and tiles lying in the courtyard of the mosque, though the main structure remained standing.
The disaster is the latest challenge for war-torn Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, already grappling with crises including an August quake that killed thousands in the east of the country, a sharp drop in foreign aid and mass deportations of Afghan refugees by neighbouring countries.
The quake disrupted power across the country, including to the capital Kabul, national power supplier Da Afghanistan Breshna Company said in a statement.
Aid group Save The Children said the latest earthquake added to the humanitarian burden on the country, arriving just before winter when temperatures can drop below freezing.
“As temperatures fall, thousands of children in the earthquake-devastated east of the country are facing the winter with only tents for protection from the rain and snow,” said Samira Sayed Rahman, a programme development and advocacy director in the country.
“Now, families in the north are also experiencing fear and uncertainty after this latest powerful quake.”
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to quakes as it lies on two active faults that have the potential to rupture and cause extensive damage.
More than 2,200 people were killed and thousands more injured after a quake and strong aftershocks hit the country at the end of August.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul and Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Writing by Ariba Shahid, YP Rajesh and Alasdair Pal; Editing by Stephen Coates)
