UPDATE 2 - Afghanistan's earthquake death toll climbs to 20, hundreds wounded

UPDATES DEATH TOLL; ADDS DETAILS, 2ND DECK

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 20 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan at around 1 am local time on Monday (2030GMT Sunday), officials said.

Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said 20 people were confirmed dead and most of the casualties were reported in northern Samangan and Balkh provinces.

The earthquake caused "severe human casualties and heavy financial losses," according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

Search and rescue operations are going on to look for survivors.

The provincial capital of Balkh, Mazar-e-Sharif, also reported casualties as well as damage to property.

Damages have also been reported in the northwestern Baghlan province, according to officials.

Some 800 houses were partially destroyed in Chogani village of Shahr-e-Bozorg district of Badakhshan province.

The quake occurred at a depth of 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the country's largest cities, the US Geological Survey said.

Authorities have ordered all hospitals to be fully prepared to provide health services to the victims of the earthquake.

- Electricity lines from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan cut off

The strong tremor has also affected electricity supply lines from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, cutting off services to several regions.

The lines spanning Naibabad to Samangan and from Khulm to Pul-e-Khumri, have been cut off, said the national power utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS).

“As a result of this outage, the provinces of Kabul, Baghlan, Parwan, Panjshir, Kapisa, Logar, Paktia, Ghazni, and Maidan Wardak have been completely deprived of imported power supplied through this route,” Tolo News reported.

Technical teams are "working to assess the lines and restore electricity,” said the DABS.

The Defense Ministry said it was clearing roads that were blocked due to landslides triggered by the earthquake.

Afghanistan has been rocked by at least eight major earthquakes, including the latest one, since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

In August this year, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook the eastern Kunar province, killing more than 2,200 people and flattening hundreds of houses and buildings.