6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region on Monday, with the epicentre near Khulm, the USGS reported.
A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake has shaken northern Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 also struck near one of Afghanistan's largest cities, Mazar-e-Sharif, early on Monday, the USGS reported. The earthquake hit at a depth of 28 kilometres (17.4 miles) near the city, which has a population of about 523,000.
The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER system, an automated platform that estimates the impact of earthquakes, indicating that “significant casualties are likely, and the disaster is potentially widespread.”
The country's national disaster management agency said that reports on casualties and damage would be shared later.
Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly earthquakes due to its location along major fault lines. More than 1,000 people died after an earthquake hit the country in August, according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society.
A magnitude 6.0 quake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on August 31, 2025, killed more than 2,200 people. On October 7, 2023, another 6.3-magnitude earthquake followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.