The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has been struck by 6.3 magnitude Earthquake killing at least 20 people, injured many other and partially or completely destroying houses and structures.
Authorities in the northern part of the country on Monday said the disaster has course widespread of damage and panic.
According to the US Geographical Survey, the 6.3-magnitude quake struck overnight at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) with the epicentre near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
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More than 20 people were killed and around 320 were injured in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, health ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told journalists on Monday morning, stressing that this was a preliminary toll.
He did not provide a province-wide breakdown of the casualties.
Residents of Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest northern cities, scrambled into the streets due to fears their homes would collapse, an AFP correspondent observed.
The city’s famed Blue Mosque, a 15th-century landmark known for its vibrant tiles, was also damaged, an AFP journalist witnessed.
The capital Kabul residents which is around 420 kilometres to the south, also said they felt shaking.
Poor communication networks and infrastructure in mountainous Afghanistan have hampered disaster responses in the past, preventing authorities for hours or even days from reaching far-flung villages to assess the extent of the damage.
In August, a shallow 6.0-magnitude quake in the country’s east wiped out mountainside villages and killed more than 2,200 people.