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Kabul Sept 2: An earthquake in Afghanistan has killed more than 800 people and left at least 2,800 injured, making it one of the deadliest disasters in recent years. The 6.0-magnitude quake struck around midnight at a depth of 10 km, flattening homes in remote mountain villages near the Pakistani border. Entire mudbrick settlements were reduced to rubble in Kunar province, where more than 600 people died, while others were killed in Nangarhar. Three villages in Kunar were destroyed.

Rescue efforts have been slow, with teams struggling to reach areas cut off by landslides and lacking mobile connectivity. Military helicopters and ambulances have been moving the injured, while residents help dig survivors from collapsed homes. Authorities said 40 flights had already evacuated hundreds of dead and wounded.

The Taliban administration has appealed for urgent international aid. Health ministry officials say medical facilities are overwhelmed and basic supplies are running low. The disaster adds pressure to a government already crippled by reduced aid flows and a collapsing economy. International support for Afghanistan has sharply declined since the Taliban takeover in 2021, dropping from $3.8 billion in 2022 to just $767 million this year. Aid cuts have been driven partly by global donor fatigue and Taliban restrictions on women, including those working in humanitarian agencies.

So far, no foreign governments have committed direct support for rescue or relief work, though the UN has said it is preparing emergency assistance and China has offered to help “within its capacity.” The quake is Afghanistan’s third major tremor since 2021, following deadly quakes in Herat and the east. Experts warn that with much of the population living in fragile housing across the quake-prone Hindu Kush region, future disasters could prove equally devastating.

People’s News Monitoring Service