Experts fear “significant casualties” after an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck near the northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on November 3, serving as another potential blow to the country’s struggling Taliban rulers.
The US Geological Survey said its models indicated that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread” around the city of some 523,000 people.
Social media posts displayed videos of what were said to be rescue efforts attempting to help people trapped under ruins following the November 2 quake. The videos could not immediately be verified.
The Hazrat-e Ali shrine, or Blue Mosque, in Mazar-e Sharif was reportedly damaged in the November 3 quake. (file photo)
Amid early reports, regional health officials said at least seven people were dead and some 150 injured in the northern Samangan Province. An official in Mazar-e Sharif said the Blue Mosque in had been damaged in the quake.
The latest quake follows a magnitude 4.9 temblor that hit Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on November 1. Casualties and damages from that incident are not yet clear.
In August, a major earthquake killed at least 2,000 people as authorities in the impoverished, war-ravaged nation pleaded with countries to send aid.
Many aid efforts to the country were disrupted after the hard-line Taliban extremists seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Deadly earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, with poor construction and infrastructure assets often hampering rescue efforts.
AFP quoted Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, as saying that since 1900, northeastern Afghanistan has been hit by 1at least 12 quakes with a magnitude above 7.
The Taliban rulers have remained mostly isolated in the global community. Russia is the only country that officially recognizes the Taliban as the country’s government, although the rulers have made attempts over the past year to reengage with the rest of the world.
Western nations have accused the Taliban of major human rights violations, especially against girls and women. They have predicated potential diplomatic ties on an improved rights situation.
The Taliban also faces an armed border conflict with much more-powerful Pakistan, with peace negotiations having mainly broken down.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have held talks in Istanbul aimed at securing peace after more than 70 people were killed last month in border clashes. The recent violence, which also wounded hundreds of people, has been the worst since the Taliban seized in 2021.
The Taliban also are struggling to battle against domestic terrorist groups and endemic poverty.
