An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck Afghanistan on Monday morning — with authorities warning that “significant casualties” were likely. The powerful tremors were felt mere hours after another smaller quake struck the Hindu Kush region and left it susceptible to aftershocks. The US Geological Survey has since issued an orange alert for the region and signaled the possibility of a widespread disaster.
“Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response,” USGS warned through its PAGER system for predicting economic and human loss after earthquakes.
The tremors came mere weeks after a devastating earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on August 31. More than 2,200 people died, and thousands more were displaced by the quake. Data from the Taliban government suggests that another earthquake of magnitude 6.3 (followed by the strong aftershocks) had left at least 4,000 people dead in October 2023.
Local authorities have so far confirmed the death of at least five people and injuries to 143 others. A spokesman for the Afghan disaster management agency told AP that the people killed and injured were in Samangan province. Yousaf Hammad added that most of the injured had suffered minor wounds and were discharged after receiving initial treatment.
The earthquake was also felt in parts of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan — three countries bordering northern Afghanistan.
Videos of rescue efforts being carried out to save people trapped under rubble and images of fallen debris in buildings were shared on the social media platform X. They could not be immediately verified.
More than 1,000 people died after an earthquake hit Afghanistan in August, according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region.
