More than 800 killed in Afghanistan earthquake

An earthquake in a mountainous region of Afghanistan has killed over 800 people and injured 2,500 people, The New Arab via AFP reported on September 1st.

The earthquake struck just before midnight on August 31^st and was followed by a series of aftershocks – the largest having a magnitude of 5.2.

The quake was 27 kilometres from the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake was so powerful buildings from Kabul to Islamabad in Pakistan were shaken. The USGS has said over 1.2 million people are likely to have felt strong or very strong shaking.

Chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said that roughly 800 people were killed and 2,500 suffered injuries in the remote Kunar province – where the earthquake’s epicentre was located.

He continued to tell reporters that in neighbouring Nangarhar province another 12 people had been killed and 255 people had been injured.

A massive rescue operation – mobilised by the Taliban authorities and the United Nations – has been underway to areas hit hard by the quake. The defence ministry has said 40 flight sorties had been conducted as of yet.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has shared his condolences. He said: “I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today.”

The interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen told reporters “numerous houses were destroyed” in the quake.

Many Afghans lives in low-rise mud-brick homes which are poorly defended against earthquakes – making them especially vulnerable to collapse.

Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad told AFP that many living in the villages affected by the quake, were people who had just returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in recent years. Many Afghani immigrants had been forced to return to Afghanistan – pushed back by countries they sought solace within.

Foreign aid to Afghanistan had been slashed after the Taliban’s resurgence, which could hamper the supplies and facilities available to rescue teams. Furthermore, the cuts have also pushed 25% of Afghanistan’s population into critical food insecurity – a problem that could be further inflamed by the quake.

The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org