KABUL, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and nearly 200 others injured after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early on Monday, Afghan government officials told local media.
Qari Lutfullah Habibi, head of the Public Health Department in Samangan province, said that in the provincial capital, Aybak, one person was killed and more than 100 were injured. In the Hazrat Sultan district of Samangan, one person was killed and 15 others were injured. In the neighboring Balkh province, six deaths and over 70 injuries were reported in the Khulm district.
The Afghan government said rescue teams are still assessing damage in remote areas affected by the earthquake and warned that the casualty toll may rise as communications are restored. Medical and emergency teams have been dispatched to the affected regions, where local hospitals are struggling to cope with the increasing number of injured people.
Due to mountainous terrain and weak infrastructure, Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly earthquakes that cause significant casualties. The country's ongoing humanitarian crisis has also severely hindered its ability to respond effectively to disasters. ■
