Death toll rises to 1,000 in Afghanistan earthquake

The death toll in the powerful earthquake that struck a remote border region in Afghanistan overnight reached 1,000, leaving many more injured.

The 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit the most powerful region in the rugged terrain in the east, where people are already living tough lives in a country in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe exacerbated by the Taliban’s seizure of power in August.

“People are digging grave after grave,” said the head of the Department of Information and Culture in hard-hit Paktika, adding that at least 1,000 people have died in that province alone.

“It’s also raining, and all the houses are destroyed. People are still trapped under the rubble,” he told reporters.

The death toll rose steadily throughout the day as news of casualties leaked from hard-to-reach areas in the mountains, and the country’s supreme leader, Hebatullah Akhundzada, warned it was likely to rise further.

Earlier, a tribal leader from Paktika said survivors and rescue workers are striving to help those affected.

“Local markets are closed and all people are rushing to the affected areas,” Yaqoub Manzoor told AFP by telephone.

Pictures and videos posted on social media showed heavily damaged mud houses in remote rural areas.

Some footage showed local residents carrying the victims into a military helicopter.

Even before the Taliban seized power, emergency response teams in Afghanistan were exhausted to deal with the natural disasters that frequently hit the country.

But with only a few airworthy aircraft and helicopters, the immediate response is often limited.

Afghanistan is frequently subject to earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which is located near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Dozens were killed and injured in January when two earthquakes struck rural areas in western Badghis province, damaging hundreds of buildings.

In 2015, more than 380 people were killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan when a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the two countries, with the bulk of the deaths occurring in Pakistan.

The latest earthquake comes at a time when Afghanistan is grappling with a serious humanitarian disaster exacerbated by the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

Aid agencies and the United Nations say Afghanistan needs billions of dollars this year to tackle the crisis.

Aid agencies have particularly stressed the need for greater disaster preparedness in Afghanistan, which remains highly vulnerable to frequent earthquakes, floods and landslides.

France Press agency

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