6.0 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan: More than 600 people killed, 1,500 injured
6.0 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan: More than 600 people killed, 1,500 injured
Digital Desk: At least 622 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1500 injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night.
The 6.0 magnitude quake, whose epicentre was recorded 27 km from Jalalabad in Nan-gar-har province, caused widespread destruction across the mountainous region.
The tremors also shook neighbouring Kunar and Lagh-man provinces and were felt as far as 140 km away in Kabul – the Afghan capital.
Entire villages have been reduced to rubble near the border with Pakistan, where homes built of mud and stone could not withstand the tremors.
In Kunar province, three villages were completely razed, while many others suffered severe damage.
Rescuers reported scenes of devastation as they combed through debris in search of survivors.
Helicopters have been deployed to evacuate the wounded from remote areas.
However, ongoing aftershocks and landslides blocking narrow mountain roads have hampered relief operations.
The Taliban-led government has appealed to international organisations for urgent humanitarian assistance.
It has warned that the disaster has compounded Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
Emergency teams have been racing against time to locate survivors in the border regions adjoining Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
Image Credit: Google
