At least 20 dead after magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Afghanistan

London - At least 20 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, local authorities said.

Hundreds of others have been injured, reports said.

The earthquake struck near Mazar-e-Sharif, one of the country's largest cities that is home to about 500,000 people, at around 01:00 local time on Monday.

It had a magnitude of 6.3, according to the US Geological Survey.

More than 530 people have been injured, according to the Taliban government health ministry.

Officials say casualties were likely to rise as rescue efforts continued.

Many of Mazar-e Sharif's residents rushed to the streets when the quake struck, as they feared their houses would collapse, AFP news agency reported.

The quake led to a power outage across the country including in the capital city Kabul, after electricity lines from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan  were damaged.

Numerous fatalities were reported in Samangan, a mountainous province near Mazar-e-Sharif, according to local officials.

In late August, more than 1,100 people were killed when a  6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan's mountainous eastern region.

That earthquake was especially deadly as the rural houses in the region are typically made of mud and timber.

Afghanistan is very prone to earthquakes because of its location on top of a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.