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5.0-Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Northern Afghanistan


A family picture can be seen on a wall of a damaged house after an earthquake in Afghanistan's Herat Province in October 2023.
A family picture can be seen on a wall of a damaged house after an earthquake in Afghanistan's Herat Province in October 2023.

A relatively strong earthquake hit Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh on February 18. The 5.0-magnitude quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey. Haji Zaid, the Balkh governor's spokesman, said on social media that there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. In October, a series of quakes with magnitudes of up to 6.3 rocked Afghanistan's western province of Herat. According to the United Nations, the quakes killed around 1,500 people and injured nearly 2,000.

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