FLASH
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At least 20 people have died after a strong earthquake struck northern Afghanistan in the early hours of Monday morning, with local authorities warning that the death toll could rise as rescue operations continue, the BBC reports.
According to local officials, hundreds of other people were injured by the strong tremors that shook the area near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the country's largest cities with about 500,000 inhabitants.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck at around 1:00 a.m. local time at a depth of 17 miles (28 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency has raised the alert level for the event to "orange," meaning there is a possibility of multiple fatalities and significant property damage.
The spokesman for the Taliban government's Ministry of Health, Sharafat Zaman Amar, stated that so far over 20 deaths and more than 320 injured people have been confirmed.
Provincial authorities said the figures are expected to change as rescue teams continue to search the areas most affected by the earthquake.
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