Afghanistan hit by 5.6-magnitude earthquake after over 2,200 killed

Kabul: A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan, centered 14 km east of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake’s epicentre, struck on Thursday, at a depth of 10 km, was located at 34.72 degrees north latitude and 70.79 degrees east longitude, Xinhua news agency reported.

The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the quake at a magnitude of 6.2.

This latest temblor follows a series of earthquakes that have devastated Nangarhar and neighbouring Kunar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces in recent days.

The most catastrophic, a 6.0-magnitude quake, hit late Sunday, causing extensive destruction and significant loss of life and property.

Official reports confirmed over 2,200 deaths and more than 3,600 injuries, with rescue operations ongoing to recover bodies from the rubble.

The region remains on high alert as authorities and aid organisations grapple with the escalating crisis.

The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at a press conference on Monday that the death toll had risen to at least 800 with more than 2,500 injured.

He said most of the casualties were in Kunar.

Buildings in Afghanistan tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood. Many are poorly built.

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said that the earthquake intensified existing humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan and urged international donors to support relief efforts.

“This adds death and destruction to other challenges including drought and the forced return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries,” Grandi wrote on the social media platform X.

“Hopefully the donor community will not hesitate to support relief efforts.”

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks.

The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished in that quake.

The UN gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

The latest earthquake was likely to “dwarf the scale of the humanitarian needs” caused by the disaster of 2023, according to the International Rescue Committee.

IANS