Hundreds of people are feared dead after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the city of Jalalabad close to the Pakistan border.
The quake struck around 11:45 p.m. on August 31 and was centered some 27 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGA).
Taliban authorities reported hundreds of deaths.
Abdul Mateen Qane, a spokesperson for the Taliban-run Interior Ministry, said “in Kunar province 610 people have been martyred, 1,300 injured, and a large number of houses destroyed. Likewise, in Nangarhar province 12 people have been martyred, 255 injured, and dozens of houses have also been damaged.”
A resident in Nangarhar Province told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi “”People’s homes have been destroyed.”
“Everything has been leveled to the ground. There is an urgent need to deliver health kits to the people and to provide food and essential household supplies,” he added.
Modelling by the USGA earlier suggested the estimated number of deaths could reach into the hundreds of people.
The USGA said the quake was 8 kilometers deep, a relatively shallow level that often causes greater damage than deeper temblors.
A 4.5-magnitude quake struck in the region some 20 minutes later, followed by another aftershock of 5.2 magnitude, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ).
Residents of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad — more than 300 kilometers away — reported feeling buildings shaking.
“Unfortunately, tonight’s earthquake has had human casualties and financial damage in some of our eastern provinces,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X.
“Local officials and residents are making all the efforts to rescue affected ones. Support teams from the capital and nearby provinces are also on their way. All available resources will be used for the rescue and relief of the people,” he added.
Residents of Kabul — about 100 kilometers away — also were shaken.
The quake comes after Nangarhar Province was hit by heavy flooding over the weekend that killed at least five people and destroyed crops and property.
Afghanistan, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, is often impacted by earthquakes. Casualty tolls are over exacerbated because of poor building standards, remote locations, and the difficulty of getting assistance to victims.
