The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan has risen to 27, with nearly 1,000 people injured, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.
The 6.3-magnitude quake, which hit overnight on Monday, caused most of its casualties in the Balkh and Samangan provinces, the ministry’s spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said in a statement on Tuesday.
Authorities announced the completion of rescue operations, crediting the swift response of emergency and military teams. The epicentre was located in Samangan’s Kholm district, near Mazar-i-Sharif.
Many residents were seen clearing debris from damaged homes despite heavy rain, while the national electricity provider continued efforts to restore power in affected areas.
The quake comes just weeks after a deadly tremor in late August devastated eastern Afghanistan, killing over 2,200 people and injuring nearly 4,000, marking the country’s worst earthquake in recent history.
Afghanistan lies along the Hindu Kush mountain range, a seismically active zone where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates collide, making it highly prone to destructive earthquakes.
