VIDEO Strong earthquake in Afghanistan on Monday morning, the first casualty report appeared

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 struck near the city of Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan on Monday morning, killing at least 200 people and injuring more than 320, according to the first assessment of the authorities, with the number of victims likely to rise, reports Reuters.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that the earthquake had a depth of 28 km and struck near the city of Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000.

The Ministry of Defense of the Afghan Taliban regime said that Balkh and Samangan provinces were the most affected and that many people died.

Military rescue and emergency assistance teams immediately arrived in the area and began operations to rescue people, transport the injured and assist the affected families, it said in a statement

Health ministry spokesman Sharfat Zaman said rescue teams were active and the number of dead and injured could rise.

“Medical teams have reached the area and all nearby hospitals have been put on alert,” Zaman said in a statement.

The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER system, an automated system that provides information on the impact of earthquakes, and indicated that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster could be widespread.”

Afghanistan has a big problem with earthquakes

Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on two active faults that have the potential to cause particularly severe earthquakes.

In late August, more than 2,200 people were killed and thousands more injured in an earthquake and strong aftershocks in the war-torn southeast of the Islamic country.

The earthquake destroyed part of the holy shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh provincial spokesman Haji Zaid said, referring to the Blue Mosque.

the last earthquake in Mazar-e-Sharif#earthquake #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/IXwn5w8Lps

— Abdulhaq Omeri (@AbdulhaqOmeri) November 3, 2025

Videos of the earthquake and efforts to rescue people trapped under the rubble and images of fallen debris from buildings were shared on social media platform X.

CCTV footage shows the moment a strong M6.3 earthquake struck Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, a short while ago. pic.twitter.com/NX0o04Ggi5

— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) November 2, 2025

A 6.0-magnitude #earthquake has struck northern #Afghanistan 🇦🇫.

Early reports indicated significant human and structural losses. Please keep Afghanistan in your thoughts and prayers, and support the ongoing recovery efforts ❤️‍🩹 pic.twitter.com/LPx90pmo2L

— 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐠𝐦𝐫𝐫𝐫 (@Kali_Vardag) November 3, 2025