PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 20 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in Afghanistan after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the country early Monday, the ruling Taliban said.

The death toll could rise as rescue teams arrive and assess the damage, said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the health ministry, adding that at least 320 people were injured.

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck near one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, Mazar-e-Sharif, at a depth of around 17 miles just before 1 a.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The U.S.G.S. issued an orange alert under its automated system for assessing the impact of earthquakes, which means “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread

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