A powerful earthquake has flattened villages in a remote mountainous region of Afghanistan, killing more than 800 people and injuring thousands, Taliban authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck just before midnight, rattling buildings from Kabul to neighbouring Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
Casualties and destruction were reported across at least five provinces. Rescue teams spent the day pulling survivors from collapsed homes and airlifting the injured by helicopter as nightfall approached.
“The search operation is still going on. Many people are stuck under the rubble of their roofs,” said Ehsanullah Ehsan, disaster management head in eastern Kunar province, warning that the death toll could climb further.
In Kunar alone, near the epicentre, around 800 people were confirmed dead and 2,500 injured, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid disclosed.
Neighbouring provinces were also hit. Authorities reported that 12 people were killed and 255 injured in Nangarhar, while 58 others were wounded in Laghman.
Hospitals in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province, received many of the injured. Among them was 22-year-old Zafar Khan Gojar, who was evacuated from Nurgal along with his brother, who suffered a broken leg.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake’s epicentre was about 27 kilometres (17 miles) from Jalalabad and struck at a depth of eight kilometres. Experts warned that shallow quakes can cause greater destruction, particularly in Afghanistan where most people live in mud-brick homes vulnerable to collapse.
The UN migration agency expressed concern that some of the worst-hit villages in Kunar “remain inaccessible due to road blockages.” Despite efforts by local residents to clear paths, roads were still blocked nearly 20 hours after the quake, hampering relief operations.
