A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving more than 600 people dead and over 1,500 injured, according to figures released by the Taliban interior ministry. The hardest-hit province is Kunar, where officials report 610 fatalities, alongside 12 deaths in Nangarhar. However, the final toll is expected to rise as details slowly emerge from the remote and mountainous region.
The earthquake struck at 23:47 local time on Sunday, with its epicentre located 27km from Jalalabad, Afghanistan’s fifth-largest city. The tremors were felt as far as Kabul, some 140km away, and also affected Laghman province. The shallow depth of the quake made it particularly destructive, reducing houses to rubble near the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Rescue operations are being severely hampered by the terrain. Narrow mountain roads, already difficult to navigate, have been blocked by landslides, cutting off ground access to the epicentre. Helicopters are being used to evacuate casualties, but efforts remain slow-moving.
The Taliban government has appealed to international organisations for aid, as aftershocks continue to shake the region. Given the remoteness and lack of communications, the true extent of the devastation may take days to become clear.
via BBC