Shaking Ground in Afghanistan: Lives Lost and Many Hurt

A sudden and strong earthquake hit northern Afghanistan. It was a 6. 3 on the Richter scale. This happened close to the big city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The U. S. Geological Survey shared this news. People are still figuring out how bad the damage is. Right now, we know at least 20 people died. More than 500 others got hurt. The Afghan Health Ministry gave these numbers. They said these are just early estimates. Mazar-e-Sharif is a very big city. Over 500, 000 people live there. It is one of the largest cities in Afghanistan. The earthquake happened overnight on Monday. It is still not clear how much destruction there is. Earthquakes can be very scary. They can happen anytime and anywhere. It is important to be ready. This is especially true in places where earthquakes happen often. People in Afghanistan are strong. They have faced many hard times. But this earthquake is another big challenge. It will take time to recover. The world should help them.