International Desk, Bangladesh Global: A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring about 150, provincial authorities said on Monday.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000.
"A total of 150 people injured and seven martyred have been reported and transferred to health centres as of this morning," said Samim Joyanda, the spokesperson for the health department in Samangan, a mountainous northern province near Mazar-e Sharif told Reuters. The count was based on hospital reports collected as of Monday morning, he 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".
Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response, the system's alert added.
The earthquake destroyed part of the holy shrine of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said, referring to the Blue Mosque.
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.
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