(Reuters) -An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck near one of Afghanistan’s largest cities Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER system, which is an automated system that produces information on the impact of earthquakes, and indicated that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.”
The earthquake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000, according to USGS.
The country’s national disaster management agency said reports on casualties and damage would be shared later. Reuters could not immediately verify the extent of damage from the earthquake.
More than 1,000 people died after an earthquake hit Afghanistan in August, according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region.
(Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru, Yunus yawar in Kabul; Editing by Chris Reese, Nia Williams and Diane Craft)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.