People search the debris of damaged buildings in the aftermath of an earthquake in Samangan province, Afghanistan on Monday.

A powerful, 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 500 others, a health official said, adding that the numbers could increase.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was located 22 kilometres west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12:59 a.m. at a depth of 28 kilometres.

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said 534 injured people and 20 bodies had been brought to hospitals in Balkh and Samangan provinces. Rescuers were on the scene and the figures were changing, he added.

In the nearby province of Badakhshan, the qua

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