Rescuers focus on remote mountainous regions after Afghanistan earthquake

The provincial caput of catastrophe management, Ehsanullah Ehsan, says they cannot ‘predict’ the fig of bodies trapped nether the rubble.

Rescuers are trying to scope distant areas successful Afghanistan’s eastbound Kunar portion aft a devastating earthquake killed 900 radical and injured 3,000, according to a Taliban official, and flattened villages and buildings.

The decease toll is apt to rise.

The provincial caput of catastrophe management, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said aboriginal connected Tuesday that efforts would beryllium extended to much of the region’s mountainous areas.

“We cannot accurately foretell however galore bodies mightiness inactive beryllium trapped nether the rubble,” said Ehsan.

“Our effort is to implicit these operations arsenic soon arsenic imaginable and to statesman distributing assistance to the affected families,” helium noted, adding that immoderate of those who were injured person been transferred to hospitals successful the capital, Kabul, and to the adjacent Nangarhar province.

Just earlier midnight connected Sunday, a shallow magnitude 6 earthquake struck eastbound Afghanistan – 1 of the deadliest the state has experienced.

The mountainous terrain is making rescue enactment difficult, with volunteers incapable to scope isolated areas on the Pakistani border, wherever mostly mud-brick homes person been destroyed.

According to Ehsan, gaining conveyance entree connected the constrictive mountainous roads has been the main obstacle for alleviation work.

‘Extremely challenging’

In a situational update, the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that the demolition of roads and the distant locations of galore villages “severely impede the transportation of aid”.

“The pre-earthquake fragility of the wellness strategy means section capableness is overwhelmed, creating full dependence connected outer actors,” said the WHO, adding that much than 12,000 radical had been affected.

Homa Nader, the acting lawman caput of delegation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies successful Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera it has go “nearly impossible” to proceed with the rescue effort owed to the demolition of roads.

“The challenges inactive remain. We had Andma, the catastrophe absorption directive that came successful yesterday with dense machinery to wide retired immoderate of the roadworthy and the rubble to beryllium capable to enactment with entree truthful that humanitarian actors similar the Afghan Red Crescent Society tin spell and run hunt and rescue operations, but unfortunately, it’s highly challenging,” Nader said.

She added that portion they hold for a afloat incidental study from the organisation, it is “absolutely apt that those [death toll] numbers would dramatically summation due to the fact that we are not getting to the astir distant villages arsenic of yet”.

Afghanistan has experienced devastating earthquakes successful the past owed to its determination astatine the gathering constituent wherever the Indian and Eurasian plates converge.

The deadliest earthquake took spot successful October 2023, which killed much than 2,000 radical successful Herat province.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies