Kabul (AP): A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others, as well as damaging the historic Blue Mosque, officials said.
The numbers of people killed or injured could rise, officials said.
In the town of Khulm, near the epicentre, people dug through the rubble of collapsed mud brick homes with shovels and picked through debris to salvage what belongings they could.
Local resident Ahmad Zia said the air was polluted from all the dust that rose from the ruins of houses. “We pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble, and their funerals will be held today,” he said.
Footage on social media from Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, showed several bricks had fallen from the walls of the Blue Mosque but the structure remained intact. The centuries-old site, one of Afghanistan's most revered religious landmarks, is a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.
The impoverished country often faces difficulty in responding to such natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Buildings tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood, many poorly built.
In August, a quake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people.
Hundreds of houses destroyed
The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicentre was located 22 kilometres west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12:59 am at a depth of 28 kilometres.
The deputy spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, Qari Taj Mohammad Hemat, said the earthquake had struck Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, and Kunduz provinces and had left 20 people dead and 643 others injured, of whom 25 were in critical condition.
Earlier, Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said the dead and more than 500 of the injured had been brought to hospitals in Balkh and Samangan provinces. Rescuers were on the scene and the figures were changing, he added.
In the nearby province of Badakhshan, the quake partially or completely destroyed 800 houses in one village in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district, said Ihsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the provincial police headquarters. But with a lack of internet in the remote area, there were still no accurate casualty figures, he added.
Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after treatment.
Another resident of Khulm, Abdul Mubin, said he had been sleeping in his shop when the earthquake struck. “I saw that everything was destroyed. People had suffered a lot of financial losses,” he said. “Many people's houses were destroyed and their household goods were under the rubble.”
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Powerful 6.3 earthquake hits northern Afghanistan, killing 20, damaging historic Blue Mosque
AFGHAN-6THLD QUAKE
08:38 PM, 03 Nov 2025 819 Words
(Eds: Eds: UPDATES: Updates Media. EDITS: Restores line about possible increase in casualties.)
By By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and SIDDIQULLAH ALIZAI
Kabul (AP): A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others, as well as damaging the historic Blue Mosque, officials said.
The numbers of people killed or injured could rise, officials said.
In the town of Khulm, near the epicentre, people dug through the rubble of collapsed mud brick homes with shovels and picked through debris to salvage what belongings they could.
Local resident Ahmad Zia said the air was polluted from all the dust that rose from the ruins of houses. “We pulled the bodies of two people from the rubble, and their funerals will be held today,” he said.
Footage on social media from Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, showed several bricks had fallen from the walls of the Blue Mosque but the structure remained intact. The centuries-old site, one of Afghanistan's most revered religious landmarks, is a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.
The impoverished country often faces difficulty in responding to such natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Buildings tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood, many poorly built.
In August, a quake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people.
Hundreds of houses destroyed
The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicentre was located 22 kilometres west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12:59 am at a depth of 28 kilometres.
The deputy spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, Qari Taj Mohammad Hemat, said the earthquake had struck Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, and Kunduz provinces and had left 20 people dead and 643 others injured, of whom 25 were in critical condition.
Earlier, Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said the dead and more than 500 of the injured had been brought to hospitals in Balkh and Samangan provinces. Rescuers were on the scene and the figures were changing, he added.
In the nearby province of Badakhshan, the quake partially or completely destroyed 800 houses in one village in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district, said Ihsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the provincial police headquarters. But with a lack of internet in the remote area, there were still no accurate casualty figures, he added.
Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after treatment.
Another resident of Khulm, Abdul Mubin, said he had been sleeping in his shop when the earthquake struck. “I saw that everything was destroyed. People had suffered a lot of financial losses,” he said. “Many people's houses were destroyed and their household goods were under the rubble.”
Rockslide briefly blocks highway
The Ministry of Defence announced that rescue and emergency teams had reached the quake areas in Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage. The teams were transporting the injured and assisting others, it said.
The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, posted on X that government organisations were working to get the help needed.
The quake was also felt in the capital, Kabul, and several other provinces. The Defense Ministry said a rockslide briefly blocked a main mountain highway linking Kabul with Mazar-e-Sharif, but the road was later reopened. It said some people who were injured and trapped along the highway were transported to the hospital.
In Islamabad, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the loss of lives. In a statement, he offered condolences to the families of the victims, prayed for the swift recovery of the injured, and said that Pakistan stands with the Afghan people in this difficult time.
His statement came as the two countries were engaged in rounds of peace talks amid heightened tension after deadly clashes on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of sheltering members of the Pakistani Taliban and failing to curb cross-border attacks. Afghan officials reject the allegations, saying they seek good relations. Another round of peace talks is scheduled for this week in Istanbul, Turkiye.
The United Nations in Afghanistan said on X that its teams were on the ground assessing needs and delivering urgent aid.
“We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support,” the post said.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on August 31 near the border with Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people. On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
