An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 has struck near one of Afghanistan's largest cities Mazar-e Sharif in the country's north.
The the US Geological Survey (USGS) issued an orange alert in its PAGER system, which is an automated system that produces information on the impact of earthquakes, and indicated that "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread".
The earthquake hit early on Monday at a depth of 28km, near Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000, according to USGS.
The country's national disaster management agency said reports on casualties and damage would be shared later. Reuters could not immediately verify the extent of damage from the earthquake.
More than 1000 people died after an earthquake hit Afghanistan in August, according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region.
with AP