Hundreds were feared dead and injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck[1] two rugged eastern provinces in Afghanistan, authorities said on Monday, as helicopters ferried the injured to safety from rubble being combed in a hunt for survivors.
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.
There was no confirmed death toll, health authorities said in Kabul, the capital, as rescuers raced to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.
Afghanistan’s government-run Bakhtar News Agency said that “nearly 250 people have been reported martyred and over 530 injured across Kunar and Laghman provinces”.
“According to officials from the Disaster Management Department in Kunar, the most severely impacted districts include Noor Gul, Chawkay, Watapur, Mano Gai, and Chapa Dara,” BNA reported.
The local Tolo News[2], citing the Natural Disaster Preparedness Authority in Kunar, also put the death toll at “around 250”, with 500 others injured in the districts of Nurgal, Sawkay, Watapur, Manogi and Chapa Dara.
“They add that the numbers of dead and injured are not final, and communication is still ongoing with residents in remote areas,” Tolo added.
“Figures from just a few clinics show over 400 injured and dozens of fatalities,” ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said in a statement that warned of higher casualties.
Images from Reuters Television showed helicopters ferrying out the affected, while residents helped soldiers and medics carry the wounded to ambulances.
Three villages were razed in the province of Kunar, with substantial damage in many others, the health ministry said.
Reports showed 250 dead and 500 injured, said Najibullah Hanif, the provincial information head of Kunar, adding that the tally could change. Early reports showed 30 dead in a single village, with hundreds of injured taken to hospital, authorities said.
Rescuers were scrambling to find survivors in the area bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where homes of mud and stone were levelled by the midnight quake that hit at a depth of 10 kilometres.
“So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a foreign office spokesperson said.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
A series of earthquakes in its west killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest countries to natural disasters.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said he was “extremely saddened by the tragic loss of over 300 lives and the many injuries”.
“My deepest condolences go out to the families who have lost their loved ones and heartfelt prayers for full and quick recovery of those injured. This immense sorrow is felt by us all,” he said on X.