At least 20 people have been killed after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan on Monday morning. Citing a statement from the Taliban run health ministry, Reuters added that around 320 people have been injured due to the powerful tremors in the city of Mazar-e Sharif.
However, this death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue in one of Afghanistan's largest cities.
20 killed, over 300 injured
As per the Taliban health ministry, at least 20 peopel are confirmed dead due to the earthquake on Monday morning. Furthermore, a ttoal of 320 people have been injured.
As per reports, Balkh province and neighbouring Samangan province have recorded the most damage.
Monday's earthquake comes months after a magnitude 6 earthquake left at least 2,200 people dead and even more injured.
While initial reports suggested the magnitude of the quake was 6.2 on the Richter scale, the US Geological Survey said the magnitude stood at 6.3. Furthermore, the tremors prompted the USGS to issue an orange alert in its PAGER system, which indicates that "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread."
Afghanistan's famed 'blue mosque' damaged in tremors
The Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif, a 15th-century landmark famed for its vibrant tiles, was also damaged by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake which struck northern Afghanistan overnight.
{{/usCountry}}The Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif, a 15th-century landmark famed for its vibrant tiles, was also damaged by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake which struck northern Afghanistan overnight.
{{/usCountry}}As per AFP, pieces of the ornate structure, particularly from one of its minarets, broke off and lay scattered across the mosque's grounds.
The mosque, which is the Mausoleum of Imam Ali, is one of the few tourist sites in the landlocked country.
Tremors caught on camera
As social media floods with images of destruction in Afghanistan, CCTV footage from a house in Mazar-e Sharif has gone viral for capturing the moment the earthquake struck the Afghan city
WATCH | CCTV captures tremors on cam
As per the USGS, the earthquake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000.
As rescue efforts continue, Reuters reported that the country's national disaster management agency said the details regarding casualties and damage would be shared later.
Other videos on social media show rescue efforts being carried in the area to save those who have been caught in the rubble and fallen debris.
In one such video shared on X, rescuers can be pulling what appeared to be dead bodies from rubble and searching for any other people who may have been caught in the destruction.
2200 killed after August earthquake
Earlier in August, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan stated that at least 2,200 people had been killed due to the 6.0 magnitude earthquake.
Also Read | ‘No skin contact with males’: Afghan women left under earthquake rubble. Courtesy - Gender rules
Previous estimates, as per Taliban spokespersons, stood at 1,400 killed and over 3,000 injured. However, this figure increased as rescue operations continued.
Due to its location on a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, the landlocked country to prone to earthquakes.
Furthermore, many of the earthquakes which strike Kabul are shallow in nature, which causes high energy to be released at the surface, resulting in severe damage.