600 dead in Afghanistan earthquake with at least 1,500 people injured after devastating 6.0 magnitude
By NOOR QURASHI, and TOM MIDLANE and JAMES CLARK REYNOLDS,
More than 600 people have been killed with at least 1,000 injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last night.
The wave hit a series of towns on Sunday at 11.47pm in the province of Kunar, near the Pakistan border, centred 17 miles northeast of the city of Jalabad in Nangarhar.
As many as 622 people were confirmed to have been killed by Monday morning, the interior ministry said.
Hundreds were killed and injured in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
Taliban-led health authorities in Kabul, however, said they were still confirming the official toll figure as they worked to reach remote areas.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health, said that several villages had been 'completely destroyed' by the devastating quake, with rescue operations still underway.
'The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area.'
He said many areas had not been able to report casualty figures and that 'the numbers were expected to change' as death and injuries are reported.
Many homes were reduced to rubble by the force of the earthquake
Victims of the 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan are treated for their wounds on Sunday evening
A rescue helicopter lands near the Behsud district.
Spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said today that 610 people had been confirmed dead so far, with 1,300 injured in Kunar province.
A further 12 people were killed and 255 injured in Nangarhar province, he said.
Nearby Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity with neighboring Pakistan and a key border crossing between the countries.
Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, it's metropolitan area is thought to be far larger.
Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, and its outlying areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood. Many are of poor construction.
Sunday's quake was just five miles deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
Rescuers were scrambling to find survivors in the area bordering Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where homes of mud and stone were levelled.
'So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,' a foreign office spokesperson said.
Tremors began in the middle of the night local time, close to the border with Pakistan - leaving scenes of devastation in their wake.
The quake reportedly shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan's capital Islamabad around 220 miles away for several seconds.
There was a second quake some 20 minutes later in the same province, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of six miles.
Nangarhar province was also hit by flooding overnight Friday to Saturday, which left five people dead and destroyed crops and property, authorities said.
Naqibullah Rahimi, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Department, said 15 people were injured and taken to the local hospital for treatment.
Afghans stand amid the remains of houses as the search for survivors continues
Homes were destroyed and two children were confirmed killed last night before the further extent of casualties was revealed this morning in the Afghanistan earthquake
A thick layer of ash gathers in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which has so far killed over 500 and left at least 1,000 people injured
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake previously struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks.
The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished.
The U.N. gave a lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
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