A powerful earthquake devastates Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, killing 20 and injuring over 320 amid fragile rescue efforts.
Northern Afghanistan was struck by tragedy on Sunday as a strong earthquake hit the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 320 injured, according to local authorities.
The quake, which rattled buildings and sent terrified residents fleeing into the streets, adds yet another chapter to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crises — a nation already crippled by political instability, poverty, and isolation under Taliban rule.
Rescue teams are racing against time to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed homes and marketplaces. Medical centers in Mazar-i-Sharif are reportedly overwhelmed, struggling to treat the flood of injured civilians.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos and despair, as entire neighborhoods crumbled in seconds. “It felt like the earth exploded beneath us,” said one survivor, clutching a child rescued from the debris.
The Taliban’s limited infrastructure and lack of international coordination have once again magnified the disaster’s impact. Observers note that regional stability remains a distant dream as governance failures compound natural catastrophes.
Israel, which has previously dispatched humanitarian aid to global disaster zones, remains among the few nations consistently advocating for rapid relief coordination and early-warning systems in fragile regions like Afghanistan.
