A 6.3-magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan kills 27, injures nearly 1,000, with rescue operations now complete in affected provinces.
KHUML: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Afghanistan has risen to 27 people, with nearly 1,000 others injured, according to health ministry officials.
A 6.3-magnitude quake struck overnight on Monday, with most casualties reported in Balkh and Samangan provinces, ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman confirmed in a statement.
Rescue operations have now concluded across the affected areas, authorities announced on Tuesday.
“Thanks to the significant efforts and rapid response of all relevant institutions, the authorities have completed rescue operations in the affected areas,” Zaman stated.
The earthquake’s epicentre was located in Samangan’s Kholm district, near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
In Kholm, residents were seen clearing rubble from their homes despite heavy rainfall, according to an AFP correspondent on the ground.
The Afghan National Disaster Management Authority noted that the vast majority of injured individuals were not in critical condition.
State electricity providers continue working to repair damaged power lines throughout the affected region.
This latest tremor follows a deadly earthquake in late August that struck eastern provinces bordering Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people according to Taliban authorities.
That previous earthquake represented the deadliest in Afghanistan’s recent history, devastating remote mountainous areas where poorly built homes collapsed.
Earthquakes remain common throughout Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. – AFP
