A strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border has destroyed numerous villages and and caused extensive damage, killing at least 610 people and injuring at least 1300 others, officials said, a spokesman for the Taliban government said today.
The quake late Sunday (Monday NZST) hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangahar province. The 6.0 magnitude at 11.47pm (6.47am Monday NZST) was centred 27km east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8km deep. Shallower quakes tended to cause more damage.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed the casualty figures to the Associated Press, saying the late-night quake killed 610 people and injured 1300 in Kunar. Many houses were destroyed.
In Nangarhar, a dozen people died and hundreds were injured, said Qani.
Afghanistan earthquake kills hundreds, more than 1000 injured, watch on TVNZ+
The Kunar Disaster Management Authority earlier said in a statement that at least 250 people were killed and 500 others injured in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
"Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed. The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area," said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health.
He said many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that "the numbers were expected to change" as death and injuries wee reported.
Nearby Jalalabad was a bustling trade city due to its proximity with neighbouring Pakistan and a key border crossing between the countries. Although it had a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, its metropolitan area was thought to be far larger. Most of its buildings were low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, and its outlying areas included homes built of mud bricks and wood. Many were of poor construction.
Jalalabad also had considerable agriculture and farming, including citrus fruit and rice, with the Kabul River flowing through the city.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4000 people perished, although the UN gave a far lower death toll of about 1500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
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