By Olamilekan Abayomi
A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, resulting in widespread destruction and a significant loss of life. The quake’s epicenter was located near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, at a shallow depth of approximately 8 kilometers, which exacerbated the damage.
The death toll from the earthquake has risen to over 622 people, with more than 1,500 injured. The Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry reported that 610 people were killed and 1,300 injured in Kunar province, while 12 people were killed and 255 injured in Nangarhar province. The casualty numbers are expected to change as rescue teams reach remote areas.
Rescue efforts are underway, with helicopters ferrying the wounded to safety and medical teams working to treat the injured. Local residents are assisting soldiers and medics in carrying the wounded to ambulances. However, rugged terrain and damaged roads are complicating rescue operations. The Defence Ministry has flown 30 doctors and 800 kg of medicine into the province to support local hospitals overwhelmed by casualties.
The disaster is further straining Afghanistan’s already overwhelmed resources, exacerbating existing humanitarian crises. The country 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.
Three villages were razed in the province of Kunar, with substantial damage in many others. The health ministry has warned of higher casualties, and officials are racing to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods. The quake shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, around 370 km away, for several seconds.
The international community has been urged to provide support, but so far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide assistance for rescue or relief work. The Taliban government has appealed for aid to support relief efforts. As rescue teams continue to search for survivors, the death toll is expected to rise, and the full extent of the damage becomes clearer.
