The US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday night that a powerful earthquake of 6.3 magnitude has struck northern Afghanistan.
The quake struck early Monday near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, about 22 kilometers from Kholm, at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles), according to the USGS.
Kholm is home to about 65,000 people, while Mazar-i-Sharif is home to about 523,000.
The extent of any casualties or damage is not yet clear, but the USGS has issued an orange alert, meaning “
It comes two months after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the east of Afghanistan, killing more than 2,200 people.
In Mazar-i-Sharif, many people fled into the street at midnight, fearing their houses would collapse, a correspondent for the French news agency AFP reported.
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, especially near the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.
more to come…
Edited by: Carl Sexton