Powerful quake in Afghan kills seven, injures 150

KABUL: A powerful earthquake struck Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the most overcrowded cities in Afghanistan. The US Geological Survey reported that the magnitude was 6.3 on the Richter scale. Seven people were killed and more than 150 were injured in the incident. This is only the number of people taken to hospitals. The toll is expected to rise further.

The USGS has issued an orange alert for the earthquake. This means that there is a possibility of widespread disaster and significant damage. The epicenter in Mazar-e-Sharif is 28 kilometers below the surface. The tremors of the earthquake were also felt in neighboring countries Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Videos of widespread collapse of buildings and people being pulled out of such debris are circulating on X. Afghanistan, which is struggling under the Taliban dictatorship, was also hit by a powerful earthquake in August. More than a thousand people had died then.