A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook northern Afghanistan, with its epicenter located near one of the country's largest cities, Mazar-e Sharif, early Monday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The epicenter was located in Kholm, near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, in Balkh province, had a depth of 28 kilometers, according to the USGS, which had initially estimated it at 10 kilometers. The USGS issued an orange alert on its automated system that generates information on the impact of earthquakes, indicating that "a significant number of casualties are likely and the disaster could spread." However, local authorities did not report any casualties at the time. In Mazar-e-Sharif, many residents left their homes for fear of aftershocks. The tremors were felt even in the capital, Kabul, according to AFP correspondents. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the extent of the damage caused by the quake, which comes just two months after a deadly earthquake in the east of the country. The country's national disaster management agency said that reports on casualties and damage would be released later. damage.

At the end of August, another magnitude 6 earthquake struck the eastern provinces of Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar, killing more than 2,200 people. It was the deadliest earthquake in Afghanistan's recent history. The country is frequently struck by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, located near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Since 1900, northeastern Afghanistan has recorded 12 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7, according to Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey. The Taliban, who regained power in 2021, have already faced several earthquakes, including the one in the Herat region, bordering Iran, in 2023, which left more than 1,500 dead and destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

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