Photo: USGS
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake was reported in Afghanistan on Sunday (August 31), according to the United States Geological Survey.
The earthquake was centered at a depth of 8.0 kilometers (about five miles). At least 15 people were hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the earthquake, Naquibullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the Nangarhar Public Health Department, confirmed to CBS News.
The earthquake was reported to have struck at 11:47 p.m. local time on Sunday. The USGS said it received 83 reports of people having felt the earthquake at the time of publication.
A second 4.5-magnitude earthquake was reported in the same province about 20 minutes later. The second earthquake was reported to have a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles).
Afghanistan is prone to large earthquakes as it's located near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. The country had previously been struck by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake on October 7, 2023, which was also followed up by strong aftershocks.
The Taliban government had previously claimed that at least 4,000 people were killed in the 2023 earthquake, however, the United Nations reported that the actual number of casualties was about 1,500, still making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan in recent years. More than 90% of the people killed in the 2023 earthquakes were women and children, according to UNICEF.
Afghanistan was also previously hit by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and injured more than 1,500 others in June 2022.