At least 800 people killed as earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan

Magnitude 6.1 tremor hits the eastbound provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, and a authorities spokesperson warns the toll could rise.

One of Afghanistan’s worst earthquakes has killed much than 800 radical and injured astatine slightest 2,800, authorities accidental arsenic they pass that the decease toll could rise.

Helicopters ferried the wounded to infirmary connected Monday successful the eastbound provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar arsenic officials combed the rubble for survivors aft a magnitude 6.1 tremor deed conscionable earlier midnight connected Sunday.

At slightest 812 radical person died, authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said astatine a quality league connected Monday, arsenic the catastrophe further stretches the resources of the war-torn federation already grappling with poverty, drops successful humanitarian assistance and the pushback of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants by neighbouring countries.

[Al Jazeera]

Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee told the Reuters quality bureau that rescue teams had been “mobilised to accelerate assistance, truthful that broad and afloat enactment tin beryllium provided”.

The Ministry of Defence said it has flown 30 doctors and 800kg (1,764lb) of aesculapian supplies into Kunar to enactment hospitals dealing with the aftermath of the disaster. At slightest 40 flights person carried distant 420 wounded and dormant citizens, the ministry added.

Resident Sadiqullah, who lives successful the Maza Dara country of Nurgal, 1 of the worst affected areas successful Kunar province, told The Associated Press quality bureau that helium was woken up by a heavy roar akin to the commencement of a storm.

Sadiqullah said helium ran to wherever his children were sleeping and rescued 3 of them but could not get to the remainder of his household earlier the extortion fell connected apical of him.

“I was half-buried and incapable to get out,” helium said from Nangarhar Regional Hospital.

“My woman and 2 sons are dead, and my begetter is injured and successful infirmary with me. We were trapped for 3 to 4 hours until radical from different areas arrived and pulled maine out,” helium added.

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Lahore, Pakistan, said the portion is mountainous with villages scattered passim the area.

“What we person recovered retired is that the locals are digging retired radical from the rubble,” Hyder said, adding that owed to the shallow quality of the earthquake, which makes them much destructive, the decease toll is apt to increase.

Chris Elders, prof of petroleum geology astatine Australia’s Curtin University, told Al Jazeera that owed to the mountainous terrain of the areas deed by the earthquake and their precocious population, the concern was peculiarly dangerous.

“It’s not lone the buildings that volition shingle and go unstable, but the hillsides volition besides shingle and go unstable, and that’s what triggers landslides,” Elders said.

“Earthquakes of this size and successful this concern could truly hap astatine immoderate time, truthful it does marque it precise hard to predict,” helium said, adding that aftershocks are besides a large interest for residents successful the affected areas.

The past clip a almighty earthquake deed Afghanistan, which is prone to tremors owed to its determination adjacent the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, was successful October 2023 erstwhile much than 2,000 radical were killed.

(Al Jazeera)

International efforts

The United Nations bureau successful Afghanistan said successful a station connected X it was “deeply saddened” by the earthquake and the consequent nonaccomplishment of lives.

“Our teams are connected the ground, delivering exigency assistance & lifesaving support. Our thoughts are with the affected communities,” it wrote.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said successful comments carried by the Tasnim quality bureau that successful these “difficult moments and large tragedy”, Tehran expressed its “full readiness to nonstop relief, aesculapian and humanitarian aid”.

The spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs besides announced that Beijing was acceptable to supply catastrophe alleviation “according to Afghanistan’s needs and wrong its capacity”.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies