Over 800 dead, 2,800 injured in Afghanistan earthquake

A strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border has destroyed numerous villages and caused extensive damage, killing more than 800 people and injuring at least 2,800 others.

The earthquake late Sunday hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangahar province.

The 6.0 magnitude at 11:47 p.m. local time was centred 27 kilometres (17 miles) east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8 kilometres (5 miles) deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.

The Taliban government’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid provided the latest toll figures at a press conference in the capital Kabul.

Around 800 people died and another 2,800 were injured in Kunar, said Mujahid, adding that the toll of 12 dead and 255 injured in Nangarhar province had not changed.

The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that at least 250 people were killed and 500 others injured in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.

“Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed. The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area,” said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health, told AFP.

He said many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that “the numbers were expected to change” as death and injuries are reported.

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Nearby Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity with neighbouring Pakistan and a key border crossing between the countries.

Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, its metropolitan area is thought to be far larger. Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, and its outlying areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood. Many are of poor construction.

Jalalabad also has considerable agriculture and farming, including citrus fruit and rice, with the Kabul River flowing through the city.

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished.

The Star