Staff members of the Afghan Red Crescent conducted rescue and relief operations following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the north of the country, still images released by the agency on Monday (November 3) showed. Rescuers were seen sifting through rubble and debris and attending to an injured person.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and date of the images. But the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the quake near the city of Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan early on Monday.
The USGS 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. At least 20 people were killed and about 320 injured, according to the Afghan Taliban Health Ministry.
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to quakes as it lies on two active faults that have the potential to rupture and cause extensive damage.
