The magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck at a depth of 28 kilometers in the mountains a few miles from the city of Khulm, the US Geological Survey said. Khulm is not far from the large city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
At least nine people have been killed in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan. Local authorities say at least 320 people have been injured.
The quake was also reportedly felt in the capital Kabul, about 420 kilometers to the south.
Afghanistan is regularly hit by deadly earthquakes. At the end of August, over 2,200 people died in eastern Afghanistan in a magnitude 6.0 earthquake.
