A powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck near one of northern Afghanistan’s largest cities, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
Preliminary reports suggest that the earthquake struck at a depth of 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif and the town of Khulm in the early hours of Monday morning local time. The capital of northern Balkh province, Mazar-i-Sharif is one of the most populated cities in northern Afghanistan.
USGS models estimate the shaking could result in hundreds of fatalities.
“Several provinces of the country were once again shaken by a strong earthquake at around 1 a.m. (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday),” the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement shared with CNN.
The earthquake was also felt in regions of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, three countries that border northern Afghanistan, USGS reported.
The extent of damage caused by the earthquake is not yet clear.
An orange alert was issued by the USGS PAGER system, which predicts economic and human loss after earthquakes.
“Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response,” it said.
One resident of Mazar-i-Sharif told CNN that her family “woke up terrified” after the quake struck, saying that her children ran “down the stairs screaming” when it occurred.
“I had never experienced such a strong earthquake in my life,” Rahima, a former school teacher, said, adding that it broke some of her windows and damaged the plaster on some of her walls.
“I am happy that my house is made of concrete in the city,” she told CNN. “I don’t know if houses made of mud have survived this earthquake in the outskirts of the city.”
Back in August, at least 800 people were killed and more than 2,800 others were injured after a 6.0-magnitude quake caused widespread damage along a mountainous stretch of provinces in eastern Afghanistan.
The region was hit by at least five aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.2 magnitude in the hours after the initial quake, according to USGS.
In October 2023, another 6.3-magnitude earthquake took place in western Afghanistan, killing more than 2,000.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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