A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring about 320, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-i-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-i-Sharif told Reuters.
