Powerful earthquake kills at least 20 and injures hundreds in Afghanistan

People search among the rubble of a destroyed house in northern Afghanistan (Sirat Noori/AP)

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake has shaken northern Afghanistan, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 500 others, a health official said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was located 14 miles from the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12.59am at a depth of 17 miles.

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said 534 injured people and 20 bodies had been brought to hospitals in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan.

Just weeks after a deadly earthquake in eastern #Afghanistan, the #North has now been struck by another strong #earthquake. Our teams and partners are on the ground to assess needs and deliver urgent aid. We stand with the affected communities and will provide necessary support. pic.twitter.com/65GCjsz0qG

— UN Afghanistan (@unafghanistan) November 3, 2025

In the nearby province of Badakhshan, the quake partially or completely destroyed 800 houses in one village in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district, said Ihsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the provincial police headquarters.

Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after treatment.

In the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Ministry of Defence announced that rescue and emergency teams had reached the quake areas in Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage, and were transporting the injured and assisting others.

According to Afghan officials, the earthquake was also felt in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of the northern province of Balkh, where footage on social media showed damage to the historic Blue Mosque.

Several bricks had fallen from the walls but the mosque remained intact. The centuries-old site is one of Afghanistan’s most revered religious landmarks and a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.

Soldiers from Afghanistan’s Taliban-led army gather as they attempt to reach the site of a powerful earthquake (Sirat Noori/AP)

The quake was felt in Kabul and several other provinces. The Defence Ministry said that a rock slide briefly blocked a main mountain road linking Kabul with Mazar-e-Sharif, but the road was later reopened. It said some people who were injured and trapped along the road were transported to hospital.

The United Nations in Afghanistan said on X that Monday’s incident came just weeks after a deadly earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan. The UN said its teams were on the ground assessing needs and delivering urgent aid.

“We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support,” the post said.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on August 31 near the border with Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people.

On October 7 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.