The earthquake destroyed entire villages. Rescuers continue searching for bodies and survivors | Credit: Waheedullah Jahesh/Shutterstock
More than 660 people died and over 1,500 were injured on Monday, September 1, after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s hard-to-reach mountainous region, the Taliban-run government reported.
According to a Sky News report, the country’s health officials in the capital, Kabul, said the numbers could rise as rescue workers report the full extent of the damage caused by the earthquake. “The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” said health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman. “So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a foreign office spokesperson said.
The earthquake struck the country’s northeastern province of Kunar, near the Pakistan border, at 11:47 p.m. local time (8:17 p.m. UK time) on Sunday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences. The quake’s epicentre was near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, at a depth of 8.7 miles (14km). Jalalabad is situated about 74 miles (119km) from Kabul, the centre added. The German geosciences centre reported that a second earthquake struck in the same province about 20 minutes later, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 10km (6.2 miles). This was later followed by a 5.2 earthquake at the same depth.
Villages and homes devastated by the quake
Several villages were destroyed, and dozens of mud-and-stone homes were reduced to rubble by the first earthquake in the Kunar province, officials said.
Rescue teams were searching for survivors in several districts of the mountainous province where the quake struck, while helicopters ferried the affected to safety, and residents helped soldiers and medics carry the wounded to ambulances, according to Sky News. Hundreds of injured people have been taken to the hospital, a local official said, with figures likely to rise.
“Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. “Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people. Support teams from the centre and nearby provinces are also on their way.”
The country 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 and strong aftershocks struck Afghanistan on 7 October 2023.
