The Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported that the death toll from Sunday night’s earthquake in northern Afghanistan has risen to 27, with 730 others injured. The agency said Balkh province recorded the highest number of casualties.
According to Bakhtar, fatalities and injuries were reported across Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, and Kunduz provinces. In Balkh alone, 12 people were killed and 407 injured, while Samangan reported 11 deaths and 270 injuries. Four deaths were also recorded in Sar-e-Pul.
The agency said at least 41 students at Kunduz University were injured while attempting to flee dormitory buildings amid panic and crowding.
Earlier, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health had placed the death toll at around 20.
The World Health Organization separately reported that more than 850 people had been injured in the quake and warned that the number of casualties continues to rise as rescue efforts progress.
