AT LEAST 20 DEAD, HUNDREDS INJURED IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN EARTHQUAKE

The disaster adds to the list of deadly quakes to hit the country since the Taliban took power in 2021, which has tested the movement’s capacity to govern as foreign aid dwindles. Just two months ago, an earthquake in the east killed more than 2,000.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan close to Mazar-i-Sharif, resulting in at least 20 fatalities. On Monday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health updated the death count as rescue operations got underway, with an additional 320 individuals suffering… pic.twitter.com/SUghLmIT9F

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) November 3, 2025

The quake struck at 12:59am on Monday (20:29 GMT) at a depth of 28km (17 miles) near Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman stressed to journalists that the death toll of 20 was only preliminary.

Afghanistan’s national disaster management agency said reports on casualties and damage would be shared later.

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The earthquake also destroyed part of the holy shrine of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said, referring to the Blue Mosque.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, a city of about 523,000 people, many residents ran into the streets in the middle of the night, fearing their homes might collapse, an AFP news agency correspondent observed.

Video: The historic Rawza building in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, was also damaged by last night’s earthquake. pic.twitter.com/0aHS53I6vV

— Voice of Hindukush (@VO_hindukush) November 3, 2025