Afghanistan Earthquake: Deaths & Latest News – NRK Urix

The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3. The epicenter was in Khulm, a town near Mazar-e-Sharif, where many Norwegians were previously stationed.

The city has 500,000 inhabitants and the earthquake hit the area just after midnight local time.

– Around 320 compatriots have been injured and more than 20 have died, says spokesman for the health authorities, Sharafat Zaman, reports Reuters.

The army is deployed

Parts of Balkh and Samangan provinces are hardest hit, according to the authorities.

Rescuers and the army are deployed to try to save people and transport the dead and injured.

– Many were injured when they fell from tall buildings, writes spokesman Haji Zaid in the Taliban on X according to the BBC.

– Focus on emergency help

The Red Cross has already sent a team to the earthquake area, which will help with the search and rescue work.

– The focus is primarily on getting people out alive. Give them urgent help, says head of international operations in the Norwegian Red Cross, Håkon Jakob Røthing, to NRK.

– And then there is the focus on helping those who have died. Because they must also be rescued from the ruins and given a dignified burial, says Røthing.

Historic building destroyed

Parts of the historic Blue Mosque in the city were destroyed in the quake.

It is an important religious site, and is visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims every year.

Afghanistan is particularly prone to earthquakes

In August, more than 2,200 people lost their lives and thousands of people were injured in an earthquake in the east of the country. The earthquake measured 6.