Afghanistan – Pakistan: A strong earthquake kills at least 13 people

CNN –

Authorities warned on Wednesday that the death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck northeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday could rise much more, after tremors were felt in several major Pakistani cities and as far away as the Indian capital, New Delhi.

At least 13 people are confirmed dead so far after the 6.5-magnitude quake sent residents fleeing their homes in towns across northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, damaging buildings and causing landslides.

The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was 40 kilometers (24 miles) southeast of the Afghan town of Gorm in the Hindu Kush mountain range, at a depth of 187.6 kilometers (116 miles).

In Afghanistan, at least four people have died and 70 others have been injured in affected areas across the country, according to Sharafat Zaman Ammar, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.

Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management, said the death toll could rise as search and rescue teams reach more affected villages. Rahimi added that some of the quake-hit areas are very far away and do not have mobile phone service.

In Pakistan, at least nine people — including two children — have died as homes and other buildings collapsed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA). At least 44 others were injured in the province.

Noor Wali, a driver in Lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state, said he was eating in a restaurant when the tremors started.

“One of the walls of the restaurant fell down, and we ran for our lives. People were screaming.” “I was close to the mountain, and I felt that the whole mountain would slide towards us, and people were calling out to God.”

Pictures from the town of Saidu Sharif in Pakistan’s Swat Valley show ambulances taking earthquake victims to hospital as crowds gather outside.

The occurrence of landslides also blocked roads in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad, according to Bilal Faizi, spokesman for the provincial rescue services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In the Afghan capital, Kabul, Rohin, 28, said he spent the night in the cold with his family and neighbors in the parking lot of their compound.

We were watching TV at home when the earthquake happened. The first and second shake weren’t too bad, but the third shake was so strong that our dishes started falling out of the kitchen cupboards and our TV fell off the wall.”

“I suddenly remembered the earthquake in Turkey and thought our apartment would fall on us if we didn’t move quickly.”

On February 6, a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey, near the Syrian border, killing more than 50,000 people and sending deadly aftershocks reverberating through the region.

They are still afraid to go back inside, said Amanuddin, 42, a Kabul resident.

“The earthquakes in Syria and Turkey not only made us more afraid, but also showed that aftershocks can be much more dangerous and deadly, so, we didn’t want to take any chances,” he told CNN. I don’t know if it is safe to go back or not. I’ve heard from a few people here that there are cracks in their apartments because of the earthquake.”

Although the shock was deep, strong tremors were felt throughout the area. The CNN team on the ground felt constant shaking in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, and people were seen evacuating their homes as trees shook. Some Islamabad residents said cracks appeared in the walls of their homes.

Witnesses in Lahore told CNN the quakes were also felt, while some also felt the tremor in New Delhi and in Srinagar – the largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir – where a resident said he could see his house shaking as neighbors evacuated.

The quake comes less than a year after a deadly earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan in June 2022, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring many more, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis in the country.

Afghanistan has a long history of earthquakes, many of which occur in the mountainous Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan.

This story has been updated to correct the magnitude of the earthquake.

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