KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 260 others, an Afghan health official said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake’s epicenter was located 22 kilometers (14 miles) west-southwest of Khulm, Afghanistan, at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles). It struck at 12:59 a.m. Monday local time, the USGS said.

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said at least 10 people died and 260 were injured in the earthquake.

Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after receiving initial treatment.

In Kabul, the Ministry of Defense announced that rescue and emergency aid teams have reached the areas affected by last night’s earthquake in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage, and have begun rescue operations, including transporting the injured and assisting affected families.

According to the Afghan officials, the earthquake was also felt in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, footage on social media showed that the earthquake caused some damage to the historic Blue Mosque. Several bricks fell from the walls but the mosque remained intact. The centuries-old site is one of Afghanistan’s most revered religious landmarks and a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.

The quake was felt in the capital, Kabul, and several other provinces in Afghanistan. The Defense Ministry in a statement said pieces of rocks falling from the mountains briefly blocked a main highway linking Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif, but the road was later reopened. It said some people who were injured and trapped along the highway were transported to the hospital.

Afghanistan has been rattled by a series of earthquakes in recent years and the impoverished country often faces difficulty in responding to such natural disasters, especially in remote regions.

Buildings in Afghanistan tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood. Many are poorly built.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake on Aug. 31, 2025, in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan killed more than 2,200 people. On Oct. 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.