A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan early Monday, killing at least eight people and injuring nearly 200 others.
Qari Lutfullah Habibi, head of Samangan’s Public Health Department, reported that an earthquake in Aybak killed one person and injured over 100. He also confirmed that in Hazrat Sultan District, the quake killed one person and wounded 15 others, causing widespread concern.
Due to mountainous terrain and weak infrastructure, Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly earthquakes that cause significant casualties.
Afghanistan lies along the collision zone between the Eurasian, Indian and Arabian tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically active regions in the world.
Additionally, the Afghan Government rescue teams are constantly working in quake-affected areas and have warned about the casualty toll rise.
Xinhua News Agency reported that authorities dispatched medical and emergency teams to assist people in the affected regions.
The US Geological Survey issued an orange alert through its PAGER system that assesses the potential impact of earthquakes, warning that ‘significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.’
The quake struck at a depth of 28 km near Mazar-e Sharif, a city of about 523,000 people, according to the USGS.
Images of collapsed buildings, property damage and videos of rescue operations to free people trapped under rubble are widely being circulated on X.
Moreover, after the Taliban government came to power, it faced several devastating earthquakes.
According to seismologist Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey, northeastern Afghanistan has experienced 12 earthquakes above magnitude 7 since 1900.
Studies further show that more than 355 quakes exceeding magnitude 5.0 have occurred across the country since 1990.
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