Search for survivors after deadly Afghanistan earthquake

Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors successful the rubble of homes flattened by an earthquake that struck eastbound Afghanistan, sidesplitting much than 1,100 people.

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake, followed by astatine slightest 5 aftershocks, deed distant areas successful mountainous provinces adjacent the borderline with Pakistan astir midnight connected Sunday.

The caput of the Kunar Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said connected Tuesday that “operations continued passim the night.”

He said determination were “still injured radical near successful the distant villages” successful request of evacuation to hospitals.

Villagers joined the rescue efforts, utilizing their bare hands to wide debris from elemental mud and chromatic homes built into steep valleys.

Some of the hardest-hit villages stay inaccessible owed to blocked roads, said the UN migration agency.

The earthquake epicentre was astir 27km (17 miles) from Jalalabad, according to the USGS, which said it struck astatine a shallow 8km (5 miles) beneath the Earth’s surface.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said successful a connection that the organisation was moving with authorities to “swiftly measure needs, supply exigency assistance and basal acceptable to mobilise further support”, portion announcing an archetypal $5m successful aid.

The decease toll successful the earthquake has risen to 1,124, the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian radical moving successful the region, said connected Tuesday. At slightest 3,251 radical person been injured and much than 8,000 houses person been destroyed successful the disaster, the radical said

Laghman state besides has dozens of injured, according to authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

Relatively shallow quakes tin origin much damage, particularly since the bulk of Afghans unrecorded successful low-rise, mud-brick homes susceptible to collapse.

In a station shared by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said helium was “deeply saddened by the important nonaccomplishment of life” caused by the quake.

Afghanistan is often deed by earthquakes, particularly successful the Hindu Kush upland range, adjacent the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In October 2023, occidental Herat state was devastated by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, which killed much than 2,000 radical and damaged oregon destroyed much than 63,000 homes.

A magnitude 5.9 quake struck the eastbound state of Paktika successful June 2022, sidesplitting much than 1,000 radical and leaving tens of thousands homeless.