Rescue Teams Race To Save Survivors After Afghanistan Earthquake Claims Hundreds Of Lives

More than 800 people have been killed after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border late Sunday.

The Taliban-run  government said more than 812 people had been killed and at least 2,800 reported injured as rescue efforts remain ongoing.

Most of the reported deaths are in the Kunar province.

The earthquake was a shallow 5 miles deep and struck at 11:47 p.m. local time on Sunday in a mountainous region 17 miles away from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province.

It also impacted the Kunar and Laghman provinces, with shocks being felt as far as the capital Kabul, which is approximately 87 miles away from the epicenter.

Government officials said some homes near the border with Pakistan had been reduced to rubble, and rescue efforts were being impacted by landslides.

Several aftershocks have been reported, including in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, more than 180 miles away.

Villages in the Nurgal district of Kunar province that were completely destroyed include Sholt, Arit, Mamagal and Wadir, said public health spokesman Sharafat Amar.

Casualties are being transported from the mountainous regions by helicopter to Nangarhar Airport and then moved to hospitals.

Young people have so far donated 250 packets of blood to help victims of the earthquake at Nangarhar Regional Hospital.

“Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said.

“Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people. Support teams from the center and nearby provinces are also on their way, and all available resources will be utilized to save lives.”

The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach impacted areas, which have limited communications.

Al Jazeera correspondent Mohsin Momand told the outlet that people across Afghanistan were woken by the tremors.

“Kunar is an impoverished and mountainous region. The houses there are very vulnerable, built of mud and rocks,” he said. “So they would not be able to withstand this particular earthquake, given the fact that this was shallow. It also happened late in the night, when a lot of people were inside their homes.”

“The situation there is quite dire, because some of the reports that we are getting are that hundreds are feared dead, and that is, of course, the big concern. These villages are spread wide apart.

“Access is also very difficult, because such earthquakes would definitely have caused landslides. So whatever operation is going to be underway has to be within the critical hours to reach those remote locations. That will be the biggest challenge,” Momand said.

Some of the regions hit by the earthquake had been impacted by flash flooding over the weekend.

The Nangarhar and Kunar provinces were both impacted by floods, which caused landslides and killed five people, the BBC reported.

The United Nations and the World Health Organization have both confirmed they have teams on the ground delivering assistance.

“The UN in Afghanistan is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the eastern region & claimed hundreds of lives, injuring many more,” the UN said in a statement.

“Our teams are on the ground, delivering emergency assistance & lifesaving support. Our thoughts are with the affected communities.”

“As reports of deaths and injuries from the #earthquake in eastern region of #Afghanistan continue to emerge, @WHOAfghanistan teams are on the ground in hospitals and health facilities, supporting the treatment of the wounded and assessing urgent health needs.”

“We are actively delivering essential medicines and supplies and deploying health teams to affected areas to help #SaveLives,” WHO said in a statement.

The country is prone to earthquakes, especially in its mountainous region. On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the country.

The Taliban government said 4,000 people had been killed, but the UN gave a lower estimate of 1,500.