A powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the city's historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise.
At least 20 people were killed and 643 were injured, 25 of them seriously, according to preliminary figures from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to quakes as it lies on two active faults that have the potential to rupture and cause extensive damage.
Support pledged
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said in a post on social media platform X it was on the ground supporting rescue efforts.
India, which has been seeking to reset relations with the Taliban after severing diplomatic ties following their 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, also pledged support.
The disaster is the latest challenge for war-torn Afghanistan's Taliban administration, already grappling with crises including an August quake that killed thousands in the east of the country, a sharp drop in foreign aid and mass deportations of Afghan refugees by neighbouring countries.
Aid group Save The Children said the latest earthquake added to the humanitarian burden on the country, arriving just before winter when temperatures can drop below freezing.
Blue Mosque
The earthquake damaged part of the Blue Mosque, considered one of the holiest sites in Afghanistan and believed to be the burial site of the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said.
Damage is seen in the historic Blue Mosque after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. Source: AAP / Sirat Noori / AP
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