An Afghan shop owner who witnessed the powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday (November 3) said he saw bodies and wounded people in the aftermath.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, a city of around 523,000 people famous for its shrines and historic sites.

At least 20 people were killed and 643 were injured, 25 of them seriously, according to preliminary figures from the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday (November 3). At least 20 people were killed and around 500 injured, authorities said. Officials warned the toll could rise as rescue teams reached remote villages in the worst-hit provinces of Balkh and Samangan.

Bodies could be seen being carried away in Tangi Tashqurghan after the quake as rubble covered the ground. Reuters was able to locate the footage from a trucks' structure and exterior as seen on local media footage and from matching utility poles, the road layout and rock surface to file and satellite imagery. The date was verified by the U.S. Geological Survey which confirmed the quake near Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan early on Monday. (8892-AFGHANISTAN-QUAKE/AFTERMATH)

TANGI TASHQURGHAN, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (RTA - No use Afghanistan) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. RUBBLE ON GROUND AFTER EARTHQUAKE

2. BODY BEING CARRIED ON STRETCHER

3. VARIOUS OF VEHICLE ON FIRE

4. DAMAGED TRUCKS

5. BODY LYING ON GROUND

6. BODY BEING LIFTED

Video provided on Monday by the Afghan Ministry of Defence showed military rescue teams digging through rubble and pulling the body of a young girl from the dirt. Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and date of the images. However, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the quake near Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday. (8859-AFGHANISTAN-QUAKE/)

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, AFGHANISTAN (RELEASED NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (ORIGINALLY SHOT IN PORTRAIT) (AFGHANISTAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (MOD) HANDOUT - Access all) (NIGHT SHOT)

7. RESCUERS KNEELING DOWN, DIGGING THROUGH DIRT, PULLING BODY OF DEAD GIRL OUT / LEGS OF DEAD GIRL ON GROUND

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, AFGHANISTAN (RELEASED NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (AFGHANISTAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (MOD) HANDOUT - Access all) (MUTE)

8. (NIGHT SHOT) VARIOUS STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF RESCUE TEAMS FROM THE NATIONAL ISLAMIC ARMY CARRYING OUT OPERATIONS

The Afghan Red Crescent conducted rescue and relief operations following the earthquake, still images released by the agency on Monday 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 early on Monday. (8863-AFGHANISTAN-QUAKE/STILLS)

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, AFGHANISTAN (RELEASED NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (AFGHAN RED CRESCENT - No resales / No archive / Must on-screen courtesy "Afghan Red Crescent") (MUTE)

9. (NIGHT SHOT) VARIOUS STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF RED CRESCENT STAFF LOOKING THROUGH DEBRIS

10. (NIGHT SHOT) STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF RED CRESCENT STAFF CARRYING MAN ON HIS BACK

11. (NIGHT SHOT) STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF RED CRESCENT STAFF CONDUCTING SEARCH

12. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF DOCTORS AND RED CRESCENT STAFF TENDING TO INJURED PERSON

Victims were taken to hospital, in footage aired on Monday by local media. (8877-AFGHANISTAN-QUAKE/HOSPITAL)

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, AFGHANISTAN (AIRED NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (NIGHT SHOTS) (TOLO NEWS - No use Afghanistan)

13. HOSPITAL STAFF UNLOADING QUAKE VICTIM FROM AMBULANCE

14. VICTIM ON STRETCHER IN HOSPITAL

15. HOSPITAL STAFF PREPARING TO ATTEND TO VICTIM

16. VARIOUS OF HOSPITAL STAFF MOVING VICTIM ON STRETCHER

The earthquake also destroyed part of the holy shrine of Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said, referring to the country’s historic Blue Mosque. Reuters was able to verify the location by buildings, bricks and the fence which match with satellite and file images. Reuters was not able to independently verify the date of the video. (8853-AFGHANISTAN-QUAKE/UGC)

MAZAR-E SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN (RELEASED NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (ORIGINALLY SHOT IN PORTRAIT) (SOCIAL MEDIA - No resales / No archives / News use only) (NIGHT SHOT)

17. DEBRIS ON GROUND IN FRONT OF MINARET OF BLUE MOSQUE / PEOPLE WALKING IN FRONT OF MOSQUE / DEBRIS ON GROUND

As day broke, people in Afghanistan’s Samangan province were seen shovelling debris next to collapsed houses. The earthquake was the latest challenge for war-torn Afghanistan's Taliban administration, already grappling with crises including an August quake that killed thousands, a sharp drop in foreign aid and mass deportations of Afghan refugees by neighbouring countries. (8875-AFGHANISTAN-QUAKE/UPDATE)

TANGI TASHQURGHAN, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE, SHOP STALL / TRAFFIC, DEBRIS SCATTERED NEAR ROAD

2. EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE / TRAFFIC

3. SHOPS ON SIDE OF THE ROAD / TRAFFIC

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR, JALALUDIN, SAYING:

“It was around 1 a.m. when the earthquake struck with a strong jolt, and everything went dark as the power went out. For about an hour, there was dust and debris everywhere. When it finally cleared, we saw two bodies lying down there, a woman in that area, and two wounded people near our shop. There was also a passenger vehicle with 32 people on board, four of them were killed, and the rest were injured.”

5. EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE, SHOP STALL / TRAFFIC / DAMAGE TO STALLS

6. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING NEAR EARTHQUAKE-DAMAGED SHOPS

7. EARTHQUAKE-DAMAGED SHOPS

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Pashto) SPOKESPERSON FOR NORTHERN ARMY CORPS, HAFEZ MUHAMMADULLAH HAMAD, SAYING:

“As you are aware, a strong earthquake struck the northern region last night. Alhamdulillah, the Mujahideen of the northern Army Corps and other military units arrived at the scene. I led a three-hour operation that included evacuating the injured, clearing the roads, and recovering about 15 damaged vehicles. We also cleared approximately two kilometres of road and transferred the wounded to the hospital.”

9. TRAFFIC / CLIFFSIDE / PEOPLE STANDING BY ROAD, TRAFFIC