Overview
- USGS measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.3 with an epicenter near Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province and revised the depth from 10 kilometers to 28 kilometers.
- The shaking was felt in Kabul roughly 300 kilometers away, according to AFP correspondents.
- Health authorities in nearby Samangan province cited hospital reports to confirm seven fatalities and at least 150 injured, with officials cautioning that the toll could rise.
- Provincial authorities reported damage to part of the revered Blue Mosque complex in Mazar-i-Sharif and issued emergency contact numbers for residents.
- Afghanistan sits on a volatile tectonic collision zone, and recent disasters include an August quake that killed more than 2,200 people and a Herat-region event two years ago that left over 1,500 dead and destroyed more than 63,000 homes.