KABUL – Shortly before 1:00 a.m. Monday morning, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake killed at least seven and injured more than 70 people in northern Afghanistan, government officials reported.
The quake, which hit at a depth of six miles according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was felt in neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, The Associated Press reported.
The earthquake struck about halfway between Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, Deputy Governor Ghulam Sakhi Baghlani told reporters.
Baghlani said the earthquake damaged at least 300 homes and killed hundreds of cattle. Landslides blocked winding mountain roads, where the quake was felt “much more intensely.”
An estimated 1,000 people were killed in 2002 by a 5.3-magnitude quake that struck near Samangan in the Baghlan province.
More than 6,000 people were killed in 1998 by two earthquakes, measuring 5.9 and 6.6 respectively, which struck near Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan.
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AP contributed to this report.