At least 20 people were killed and over 500 were injured after a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 struck northern Afghanistan last night.

According to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, earthquake occurred in the wee hours and shook multiple regions, including the country’s northwestern, central, western, northern, north-eastern, and eastern zones. The epicenter of the quake was reported in Kholm, near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where most of the damage occured. Authorities said, many of the injured were treated and later discharged from the hospitals.

The National Centre for Seismology of India has confirmed that earthquake had a depth of 23 kilometres. The tremor were also felt in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. The US Geological Survey has issued an orange alert, indicating that the disaster is potentially widespread. Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly earthquakes due to its location along major fault lines.