A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early Monday local time, according to the USGS and local authorities, sparking fears of mass casualties as the country's Taliban government put the initial death toll at at least 20.

Afghan Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said in a statement that more than 20 people were confirmed dead and at least 534 others injured. He warned that the figures were still subject to change, and that all hospitals in the affected region had been put on standby to deal with the emergency.

"Based on initial information, the magnitude of the earthquake was more than 6, and the epicenter was in the Nakhchir district of Samangan province," the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement. The Samangan and

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