Kabul (TDI): More than 600 people have died, 1500 injured, and entire villages collapsed as Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar were hit by a magnitude 6 earthquake, last night.
The quake was felt just before midnight and apart from Afghanistan, it was also felt in neighboring Pakistan, Tajikistan, and even India. The epicenter was 8km deep inside the surface and houses made of mud and wood fell to the ground.
Casualties in Kunar are the highest while helicopters were sent carrying doctors to the province and to help with rescue efforts. 6 magnitude, just before midnight.
“In Kunar province, 610 people have been martyred, 1,300 injured, and a large number of houses destroyed. Likewise, in Nangarhar province, 12 people have been martyred, 255 injured, and dozens of houses damaged,” the spokesman of the interior ministry said, as reported by Aljazeera.
Mountainous terrain, absence of proper roads, and now collapsed houses are all making it difficult for rescue to reach people, while hundreds of injured have been rushed to the Jalalabad hospital of the Nangarhar province.
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Afghanistan’s eastern region is very prone to deadly and devastating earthquakes. Mud infrastructure is also one reason the earthquakes’ impact is deadly. In 2022, these same provinces were hit hard by a earthquake which claimed 1000 lives.
Next year, a powerful 6.3 earthquake struck the western Herat province, in which 2000 people lost lives. Afghanistan is a country with mountainous terrain and scarce earthquake-resilient infrastructure.
In addition to Afghanistan’s own government, rescue efforts are also being supported by Red Cross and the United Nations’ country office.
“The UN in Afghanistan is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the eastern region and claimed hundreds of lives, injuring many more,” the office said in a post shared on social media, reported by Aljazeera.
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