Afghanistan Earthquake Claims 622 Lives, Over 1,500 Injured

A devastating earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of 622 individuals and injuring more than 1,500, according to authorities on Monday. Helicopters have been deployed to transport the wounded to safety as rescue teams sift through the rubble in search of survivors.

This disaster further exacerbates the challenges faced by Afghanistan, a nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, including a significant reduction in foreign aid and the repatriation of its citizens from neighboring countries.

The quake, measured at magnitude 6, was reported by the Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry, which confirmed the death toll of 622. Earlier, state-run Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) estimated the toll to be approximately 500. In Kabul, health officials reported that rescuers are urgently trying to reach remote villages in an area known for its history of earthquakes and floods.

“Initial reports from a few clinics indicate over 400 injuries and numerous fatalities,” stated ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman, cautioning that the number of casualties could rise. Najibullah Hanif, the provincial information head of Kunar, reported that early figures showed 250 dead and 500 injured, emphasizing that these numbers may change as more information becomes available.

In one village alone, early reports indicated 30 fatalities, with hundreds more injured and requiring hospitalization. Rescuers are focused on searching for survivors in areas near the Pakistan border, where homes made of mud and stone were destroyed by the midnight quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

So far, no foreign governments have reached out to offer assistance for rescue or relief efforts, according to a spokesperson from the foreign office.

Afghanistan is highly susceptible to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. A series of earthquakes in the western part of the country last year resulted in over 1,000 fatalities, highlighting the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest nations to natural disasters.