Another tragedy has struck Afghanistan. A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the country’s north overnight.
It killed at least 20 people and injured more than 300, officials said — just months after another deadly quake devastated entire villages.
The tremor hit near Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, at a depth of 28 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Terrified residents rushed into the streets as buildings rattled and the city’s famous Blue Mosque, a centuries-old landmark, suffered visible damage.
Pieces of its intricate tiles and a section of a minaret lay scattered on the ground.
“Parts of Balkh and Samangan were hit the hardest,” the Taliban’s defense ministry confirmed.
The Earthquake Devastation
Rescue teams were deployed immediately to pull survivors from the debris and assist families.
Power lines from Uzbekistan were also cut, plunging parts of nine provinces into darkness.
The USGS warned that “significant casualties are likely,” describing the disaster as potentially widespread.
Earthquakes are heartbreakingly common in Afghanistan, where fragile homes and poor infrastructure make every tremor deadly.
It’s the third major quake under Taliban rule since 2021 — in a country already reeling from drought, hunger, and economic collapse.
For many Afghans, the ground never seems to stop shaking — literally and figuratively.
