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6.3-Magnitude Quake Strikes Northern Afghanistan, Killing at Least 20 and Injuring Hundreds

Access to remote districts remains limited, leaving casualty estimates provisional.

A Afghan Red Crescent rescue worker seen sifting through the destruction and rubble after a 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan's Balkh province on Monday
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Afghan men assist an injured man into an ambulance in the aftermath of an earthquake, that struck overnight at Mazar-i-Sharif on November 3, 2025. A 6.3-magnitude strong earthquake killed at least nine people in northern Afghanistan, authorities said on November 3, just months after another deadly tremor left the country reeling. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP) (Photo by ATIF ARYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • USGS reported the quake struck at 12:59 a.m. local time near Khulm/Mazar-i-Sharif at a depth of about 28 km and issued an orange PAGER alert warning that significant casualties are likely.
  • Afghanistan’s health ministry cited roughly 20 deaths and more than 300 injuries, while some provincial authorities reported lower preliminary tolls as figures continued to evolve.
  • Parts of Mazar-i-Sharif’s Blue Mosque were damaged, with debris falling from the site, according to local officials and on-the-ground reporting.
  • Rescue operations are underway as defense ministry teams and UN personnel deploy to affected areas, though landslides and damaged roads complicate access.
  • A rockslide briefly closed the Kabul–Mazar highway before reopening, and the shaking was felt into Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with aftershocks reported.