At least 20 dead, hundreds injured as strong quake hits northern Afghanistan

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 320 injured after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early Monday, local authorities said, warning that the toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.

The magnitude-6.3 quake hit near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities with a population of about 500,000, at around 01:00 local time (20:30 GMT Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake occurred at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) and was assigned an orange alert level, indicating a high likelihood of significant casualties and damage.

Hospitals in the region have been overwhelmed as rescuers and residents continue to pull the injured from collapsed buildings. Images from the area showed victims — including women and children — being treated in crowded hospital wards, with medical staff struggling to cope with the influx.

Officials from the Taliban government’s Health Ministry confirmed that more than 320 people had been injured so far. “Rescue teams are still working through the rubble. We fear the number of casualties will increase,” a provincial official told the BBC.

Northern Afghanistan has suffered a series of devastating earthquakes in recent months, compounding the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Many residents live in poorly constructed homes made of mud and wood, which are particularly vulnerable to collapse during seismic events.

Authorities have appealed for emergency aid and medical assistance as aftershocks continue to rattle the region.