Earthquake in Mazar
Earthquake in Mazar – On Sunday, A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude struck northern Afghanistan shortly after 1:00 a.m., shaking several provinces including Samangan, Balkh, and Badakhshan. The epicenter was located in Khulm district of Samangan at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, causing severe destruction. According to Afghan and UN officials, at least 20 people have been confirmed dead and more than 945 injured in Samangan and Balkh, though figures continue to rise as assessments progress.
In Samangan, over 70 houses were destroyed in Khulm alone, while OCHA reported more than 90 homes damaged across affected areas. Several health facilities sustained structural damage, including the Bulghali Primary Health Center and the Samangan Provincial Hospital, whose laboratory partially collapsed. Balkh province recorded at least eight fatalities and over 110 injuries, with damage extending to Mazar-e-Sharif, where the historic Blue Mosque (Rawza-e-Sakhi) suffered visible cracks and tile loss.
In Sar-e-Pul, one child was killed and 15 others injured, with widespread damage to homes in Sayad, Al-Jihad, and Gosfandi districts. A landslide in Tangi Tashqurghan blocked the Balkh–Samangan highway, disrupted electricity imported from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and temporarily halted transport.
Further northeast, Badakhshan province was also heavily impacted. In Chogani village of Shahr-e-Buzurg district, local officials confirmed that about 800 houses were completely or partially destroyed after consecutive quakes and aftershocks over two days. Residents have been forced to spend nights outdoors in freezing temperatures, urgently appealing for humanitarian aid.
The UN, India, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, and the EU have expressed solidarity, with India dispatching food and medical supplies. Relief teams from Afghan authorities and international organizations continue assessing the full scale of destruction across northern Afghanistan.
Electricity Out in Much of Afghanistan – Following last night’s earthquake in Balkh, imported electricity from Uzbekistan was cut off to most Afghan provinces, including Kabul. The national power company, DABS, reported that lines from Naibabad to Samangan and Khulm to Pul-e-Khumri were severed around 1:00 a.m., disrupting supply to Kabul, Baghlan, Parwan, Panjshir, Kapisa, Logar, Paktia, Ghazni, and Maidan Wardak. Power from Tajikistan to Kunduz was also disconnected, and repair efforts are ongoing but unresolved.