Over 800 killed in Afghanistan earthquake

By Nkiruka Nnorom with agency report

More than 800 people have been killed and nearly 3,000 injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan just before midnight on Sunday, the United Nations’ humanitarian agency has said.

Most of the deaths occurred in Kunar province, officials say, warning that the death toll may rise significantly as entire villages have been destroyed.

The epicentre was in a remote mountainous area, making it difficult for rescue operations to be carried out. “The scale of devastation is unimaginable,” a Taliban official said.

The disaster comes as Afghanistan reels from a severe drought, aid cuts and what the World Food Programme describes as an unprecedented hunger crisis.

The earthquake hit at 23:47 local time (19:47 GMT) on Sunday, some 27km (17 miles) east of Jalalabad – the country’s fifth-largest city, in eastern Nangarhar province.

The worst damage was in Kunar – a rugged, mountainous region with limited farmland.

Roads in the area are often mud tracks winding around mountains, while homes are made of clay, stones and mud.

The region has also seen massive flooding and landslides in the past few days, blocking access to many areas.

With roads blocked, rescue operations can only be carried out by air, and teams were unable to reach the area until the morning as helicopters could not land in the mountains at night.

However, more than 100 flights have since been conducted in clear weather since.

“Entire villages are flattened, roads to deep mountainous areas are still closed. So now, for us, the priority is not finding dead under the rubble, but rather reaching out to those injured,” a Taliban official in Kunar province said.

“Most of the dead are under rubble. We are doing everything, but it doesn’t seem possible soon,” he said.

There are cases of people trapped under the rubble for hours and reportedly dying as they awaited rescuers.

Syed Raheem, one of those taking part in rescue efforts, said that even though many had been saved, there were fears others were still trapped.

“Some people sent us messages that there are houses that are destroyed, and some people are still under the rocks,” he said.

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