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11h ago

Deadly 6.3 Quake Strikes Northern Afghanistan, Health Ministry Reports Over 20 Dead

Officials say the preliminary toll could rise because landslides are blocking access to remote districts.

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)
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Overview

  • Afghanistan’s Health Ministry cited more than 20 dead and about 320 injured after the pre‑dawn quake centered near Khulm close to Mazar‑i‑Sharif.
  • The USGS measured the depth at roughly 28 km and issued an orange PAGER alert indicating significant casualties and potentially widespread impact.
  • Tremors were felt across multiple northern provinces and in neighboring Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, according to USGS reports.
  • Officials and AFP journalists reported damage to Mazar‑i‑Sharif’s Blue Mosque, with pieces from a minaret and tiles falling to the ground.
  • The Defense Ministry said rescue teams are operating in Balkh and Samangan, with the Kabul–Mazar highway briefly blocked by a rockslide and later reopened, as provincial and national tallies remain provisional.