Powerful earthquake rattles Afghanistan
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N early two dozen earthquakes have struck off the coast of Russia, near the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the last 24 hours, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The temblors were measured from 4.3 to 6.1 magnitude, the latter considered a strong earthquake that could inflict damage on populated areas.
Hemmed in by rugged mountains, Afghanistan is prone to a range of natural disasters, but its earthquakes cause the most fatalities, killing about 560 people on average each year and causing annual damages estimated at $80 million. Studies indicate at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5.0 have hit Afghanistan since 1990.
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring about 150, just months after a quake and strong aftershocks killed more than 2,
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake was recorded in the Beaus region on Monday morning, according to seismic data reviewed manually by authorities. The quake struck at 7:38 a.m. local time (12:38 UTC) at a shallow depth of less than 30 kilometers, centered at latitude 16.54°N and longitude 59.49°W.