A magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattled northern Afghanistan overnight, striking at a depth of 28 km near Kholm, close to MazariSharif, the US Geological Survey said, just two months after a tremor in the east killed more than 2,200 people.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northernAfghanistanovernight Sunday into Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, two months after a tremor in the impoverished nation's eastkilled over 2,200 people.

The overnight quake hit at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) in Kholm, near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the USGS.

Local authorities broadcast emergency telephone numbers for people to call, but did not immediately report any deaths or injuries.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, many people ran into the street in the middle of the night, fearing their homes might collapse, an AFP correspondent observed.

TheTalibanauthorities have had to deal with several major quakes since returning to power in 2021, including one in 2023 in the western Herat region on the border with Iran that killed more than 1,500 people and destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

A shallow 6.0-magnitude quake struck this year on August 31 in the country's east, killing more than 2,200 people -- the deadliest tremor in recent Afghan history.

Earthquakesare common inAfghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.

Read moreAfghanistan earthquake death toll tops 2,200, rescue efforts 'still ongoing'

Afghanistanis contending with multiple crises after decades of war: endemic poverty,severe droughtand the influx of millions of Afghans forced back home by neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.

Many modest Afghan homes are shoddily built and poor infrastructure hampers rescue efforts after natural disasters like quakes.

Since 1900, northeasternAfghanistanhas been hit by 12 quakes with a magnitude above 7, according to Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Originally published on France24