KABUL: A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif early on Monday, killing at least nine people and injuring about 150, provincial authorities said on Monday. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-i-Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000. The toll was based on hospital reports collected as of Monday morning, he said. Four people were killed in Balkh province, where Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital, according to Kamal Khan Zadran, a health department spokesman.

The earthquake comes two months after the deadliest quake in recent Afghan history, which killed thousands of people.

The quake struck near Mazar-e Sharif, one of Afghanistan's largest cities in the early hours of Monday.