Afghanistan earthquake: Death toll rises to 800, over 2,500 injured
At least 800 people have been killed and 2,500 injured after an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, the country’s Taliban-run interior ministry said on Monday.
The earthquake struck the rugged province of Kunar at 11.47 pm on Sunday and was centred 27km north-east of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said.
Jalalabad is about 119km (74 miles) away from the capital city, Kabul. A 4.5 magnitude quake occurred 20 minutes later in the same province.
The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said deaths and injuries had been reported in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
The earthquake reportedly shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
Rescuers rushed to reach remote areas in the country’s eastern provinces in the aftermath of the earthquake, but limited communications and the region’s narrow mountain roads have complicated rescue efforts.
Officials from the Taliban-run government have asked for aid from international organisations.
The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises and a sharp drop in aid.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
‘Many families lost half of their members’
Afghanistan’s RTA broadcaster has interviewed several earthquake survivors now receiving medical treatment for their injuries.
Muhammad Azam, from a small village in Kunan province, said he lost his son, three daughters and several other relatives during the quake.
“When the earthquake struck, the roof collapsed,” he said. “Only two of us managed to escape.”
Another survivor described fleeing into the street as his house collapsed, while hearing his family trapped inside “begging to be rescued”.
“We first pulled the children out and then managed to bring the others from under the soil and rubble,” the man said. “In this disaster, many families lost half of their members.”
