KABUL: The death toll from a strong earthquake in Afghanistan’s east rose to 900, with 3,000 people injured, an official said Tuesday as rescue teams scoured the area for survivors.
The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in a mountainous region, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours.
“The injured are being evacuated, so these figures may change significantly,” Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, told The Associated Press. “The earthquake caused landslides in some areas, blocking roads, but they have been reopened, and the remaining roads will be reopened to allow access to areas that were difficult to reach.”
“The situation is dire. In Kunar, entire villages have been completely demolished in at least one district. In Nangarhar’s Dare Noor, people have lost all their family members,” said Faqir Sayed Al-Hashimi from Ehsas Welfare and Social Services Organization, who was helping in rescue efforts on the ground.
“The government is deploying helicopters to reach the wounded, as vehicles can’t access the area. Community members are marching on foot toward Noorgal district, where most of the casualties occurred, but it will take them several hours to get there.”
