At least 20 dead in Afghanistan earthquake

At least 20 people have died after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Afghanistan, the Taliban has said.

The tremor was recorded near the city of Mazar-e Sharif, in the northern Balkh province, at around 12.59am on Monday (8.29pm in the UK). The Taliban Health Ministry added that 320 were injured, while ministry spokesperson Sharfat Zaman said the number of dead and injured might rise.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) has issued an orange alert on its system of quake impacts, and suggested that "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread". Previous events at that alert level have required a regional or national level response, according to the USGS's alert system.

Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid added the earthquake destroyed part of the city's holy shrine, known as the Blue Mosque. The United Nations in Afghanistan said on X that it is on the ground assessing needs and delivering aid, and "we stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support".

Mazar-e Sharif is the fifth-largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of around 523,000. Located on two major active fault lines, Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes: More than 1,400 people were killed and at least 3,250 others injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit the country's eastern regions in September.

That tremor wiped out villages in the Mazar Dara valley, which Sky's Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch visited in October. In 2015, an earthquake struck northeastern Afghanistan, killing several hundred people in Afghanistan and nearby northern Pakistan.

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