Last night’s earthquake in northern Afghanistan caused numerous casualties and significant economic losses. The provinces of Balkh and Samangan were the hardest hit.
Hafiz Mohammad Issa Wasiq, spokesman for the Taliban’s Balkh provincial command, told the BBC that the earthquake was so powerful that at least 12 people died and up to 400 were injured in the province.
The earthquake also caused casualties and economic losses in the neighboring province of Samangan.
Hashmatullah Rahmani, spokesman for the Samangan provincial police headquarters, reported that nine people died and another 200 were injured in the earthquake that struck the province. He added that dozens of houses, mainly in the Khulm district, collapsed.
The earthquake is also said to have caused damage in Kunduz province.
The Taliban government’s Ministry of Health claims that at least 15 people have died and more than 320 have been injured in the earthquake. In a video posted on social media, ministry spokesman Dr. Sharafat Zaman stated that rescue teams are working in the area and that the death toll could rise.
There are varying figures on the number of casualties, but the exact number is still unknown, and the Taliban government has not yet issued an official statement.
As rescue operations continue, authorities have warned that the death toll could rise as they reach remote areas.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake, which struck at 1:00 a.m. local time, had a magnitude of 6.3 and its epicenter was located in Khulm, near Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan.
According to the agency, the earthquake had a depth of about 10 kilometers.
According to local media and social networks, the earthquake was felt in the northern and northeastern provinces, as well as in the capital, Kabul.
The tremors were also reportedly felt in Afghanistan’s neighboring countries.
Afghanistan is one of the countries that occasionally experiences severe and deadly earthquakes.
Recently, a devastating earthquake in the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar killed more than 2,200 people and injured thousands more, in addition to causing economic losses.
Earthquakes occur when there is a sudden movement along the tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s surface. Fractures called faults occur where these plates collide.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes because it lies on several tectonic faults, where the Indian and Eurasian plates converge.
Dr. Brian Baptee, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, states that Japan and South American countries experience more earthquakes than Afghanistan, “but Afghanistan is vulnerable because its buildings are not earthquake-resistant.”
He adds that buildings in Afghanistan are often made of mud brick and wood, or use low-quality cement.
Earthquakes also cause widespread destruction in Afghanistan’s mountainous regions, where landslides occur.
These landslides often bury villages and houses and block rivers, leading to flooding.
Communication problems in remote and rural areas mean that authorities in this country sometimes only learn of earthquake damage several days later.
Landslides also cause road closures, making it difficult for aid and humanitarian workers to reach the affected areas.
Adverse weather conditions, such as wind, rain, and cold, also hinder and delay rescue operations in this mountainous country during natural disasters.
