Overview
- A magnitude 6.3 quake struck near Kholm close to Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province, according to the USGS.
- Taliban authorities now report 27 deaths, while the health ministry earlier counted more than 20 fatalities and 534 injured across Samangan and Balkh.
- The 15th-century Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif sustained visible damage, with stones fallen from a minaret, AFP reporters observed.
- The defence ministry says a landslide-blocked road between Mazar-e-Sharif and Kholm has been cleared, yet electricity remains cut in several provinces after cross-border lines from Uzbekistan were damaged.
- The tremors were felt in Kabul and come as communities still recovering from an August quake that killed over 2,200 face rising needs with winter approaching.