A powerful, 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300 others, a health official said.
A powerful, 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300 others, a health official said.
The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was located 14 miles west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12:59 a.m. at a depth of 17 miles.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said the quake killed at least 20 people and injured 320 others.
Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after receiving initial treatment.
In the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Ministry of Defense announced that rescue and emergency aid teams have reached the areas affected by last night’s earthquake in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage, and have begun rescue operations, including transporting the injured and assisting affected families.
