Earthquake in Afghanistan: authorities report 812 dead and 2800 injured
Kyiv • UNN
In Afghanistan, a 6-magnitude earthquake claimed the lives of 812 people and injured 2800. Authorities are appealing for international aid, as the country is already struggling with humanitarian crises.
In Afghanistan, one of the strongest earthquakes claimed the lives of over 800 people and injured at least 2,800. Helicopters transported the injured to hospitals after they were pulled from under the rubble of houses, writes UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
This disaster will further deplete the resources of the Taliban administration in the war-torn country, which is already struggling with humanitarian crises.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Kabul, called for international assistance to deal with the devastation caused by the magnitude six earthquake, which occurred around midnight at a depth of 10 km.
We need it because many people here have lost their lives and homes
The earthquake killed 812 people in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, said administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Rescuers tried to reach remote mountainous areas, cut off from mobile networks along the Pakistani border, where mud-brick houses scattered on the slopes collapsed during the earthquake.
"All our teams have been mobilized to accelerate aid delivery to ensure comprehensive and complete support," said Ministry of Health spokesman Abdul Matin Kani, referring to efforts in various areas, from security to nutrition and health.
Military rescue teams are working throughout the region, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, with 40 flights evacuating 420 injured and dead.
The earthquake destroyed three villages in Kunar, and many others suffered significant damage, authorities said. They added that at least 610 people died in Kunar and 12 in Nangarhar.
This was the third major deadly earthquake in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021, when foreign troops were withdrawn. The coup led to a reduction in international funding, which accounted for the bulk of public finances.
Even humanitarian aid, channeled to bypass political institutions to meet urgent needs, has fallen to $767 million this year, compared to $3.8 billion in 2022.
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that killed 1,000 people in the eastern region that year was the first major natural disaster faced by the Taliban government.
Humanitarian organizations say they are struggling with a forgotten crisis in Afghanistan, where, according to United Nations estimates, more than half of the population is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Diplomats and aid officials say that crises in other parts of the world, as well as donor frustration with the Taliban's policies towards women, including restrictions on those working as humanitarian workers, have led to a reduction in funding.
So far, no foreign government has approached us to support rescue or liquidation efforts
"China is ready to provide disaster relief assistance according to Afghanistan's needs and within its capabilities," a Foreign Ministry spokesman later said.
In a post on X, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that his mission in Afghanistan was preparing to help people in areas affected by the earthquake.
Humanitarian officials and locals say that almost two years after a powerful earthquake shook the western city of Herat, many villages are still recovering and living in temporary structures.
Afghanistan has repeatedly experienced deadly earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Addition
On August 26, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 occurred in Dagestan, with its epicenter in the Caspian Sea. Tremors were felt in several regions, including Makhachkala, Chechnya, and Azerbaijan.