A devastating earthquake near the border with Pakistan in eastern Afghanistan has caused widespread destruction. Information indicates that over 800 people have died and more than 2,500 have been injured. Rescue and relief operations are ongoing following the disaster. However, the number of fatalities and injuries from this natural disaster is expected to rise. Distraught and desperate Afghans are sifting through the rubble in search of their missing loved ones.
Strong tremors from the earthquake were felt in several towns in Kunar province, near the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, late Sunday. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake, which occurred at 11:47 PM, had its epicenter 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province. Its depth was only 8 kilometers. Low-intensity earthquakes cause more damage. Several aftershocks followed.
Video footage shows rescuers carrying injured people on stretchers from the destroyed buildings to helicopters, while people are digging through the rubble with their bare hands in search of loved ones.
Taliban government spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a press conference on Monday that the death toll had risen to 800, while more than 2,500 people were injured. He stated that most of the casualties occurred in Kunar province.
Buildings in Afghanistan are typically low-rise, mostly made of concrete and bricks. Similarly, homes in rural and remote areas are made of mud bricks and wood. The construction of many houses is of extremely poor quality.
Nurgal district, one of the most affected areas in the Kunar region, had its entire village nearly destroyed, according to a resident. A victim said, “Children are buried under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. The youth are under the rubble.” He pleaded, “We need help here. We need people to come here and support us. Let’s get the buried people out. There is no one to remove the bodies from under the rubble.”
A victim said that the houses collapsed in the accident, and people started shouting for help. Eastern Afghanistan is a mountainous region and the areas here are remote. Communication systems have also deteriorated due to the earthquake. Another survivor said that he saw houses collapsing and people screaming for help.
Sadiqullah, a resident of Maja Dara area of Nargal, said that his sleep was broken by a loud explosion, which sounded like a major storm. Like many others, he uses the same name. He recounts that he first ran to his children and saved three of them. But he was about to return to get the rest of his family when the room collapsed on him.
He told the Associated Press from Nangarhar Hospital, “I was half-buried and could not get out. My wife and two sons are dead while my father is injured and is with me in the hospital. We were trapped for 3-4 hours until people from other areas came to rescue us and pulled me out.” He said it felt like the whole mountain was shaking.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said that the rescue operation is ongoing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar, and the capital Kabul have reached the area. Zaman said that the number of casualties from many areas could not be reported, so ‘the numbers are expected to change’ as information on deaths and injuries is received.
Taliban government’s chief spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, said, “All major resources available in the country will be used to save lives.” The proximity to neighboring Pakistan and the major border crossing between the two countries make nearby Jalalabad a bustling commercial center. Although its population is around 300,000 according to the municipality, its metropolitan area is considered much larger. Jalalabad also has a significant area for agriculture, including citrus fruits and rice, and the Kabul River flows through the city.
Earlier, on October 7, 2023, a major earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck Afghanistan, followed by several strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimates that at least 4,000 people died in that earthquake, while the United Nations put the death toll much lower, at around 1,500. This was the deadliest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan in recent times.
