The death toll from an earthquake in northern Afghanistan is climbing, and hundreds of families have lost their homes as the harsh winter arrives.

At least 20 people have died after an earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, local authorities say, with the toll expected to rise as rescue efforts continue. Hundreds have also been left injured, local officials told the BBC.

Afghan officials say a powerful, 6.3 magnitude earthquake that shook northern Afghanistan overnight killed at least 20 people

Afghanistan's Taliban government says a powerful earthquake in the country's north has killed at least 20 people and left hundreds injured.

KABUL (Reuters) -A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the city's historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise.

Having lost his job as a police trainer after the Taliban takeover last August, Hussain Ali moved back to his village in Afghanistan's central highlands with the intention of farming once more to provide for his family.

UN says the area devoted to opium poppies has dropped to a fraction of that cultivated before Taliban’s narcotics ban.