Deadly Earthquake Strikes Eastern Afghanistan, Hundreds Killed and Injured + Video
According to the English section of webangah News agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Al Arabiya, Afghan sources have reported a strong earthquake in eastern afghanistan near the Pakistan border. The disaster has claimed at least 250 lives with many others injured.
The earthquake, measuring 6 on the Richter scale, struck the region at midnight on Sunday, causing significant casualties and damage across several provinces.
The US Geological Survey recorded the quake’s epicenter 35 kilometers north of Basawal village in Momand Dara district of nangarhar province, at a depth of 10 kilometers below ground.
Local reports indicate severe damage and heavy losses in Dar-e Noor district within Nangarhar province.
The earthquake occurred at 11:47 p.m. local time, followed by a 4.5 magnitude aftershock about twenty minutes later in the same area.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for Afghanistan’s caretaker government (Taliban), wrote on social media platform X: “Sadly, this earthquake has caused casualties and financial losses among people in some eastern provinces. Local officials and residents are working to rescue those affected; relief teams from central and nearby provinces have also been dispatched.”
The quake was felt across multiple provinces including Kabul as well as parts of pakistan.
Nangarhar local authorities report that fatalities in Dar-e Noor district have reached nine with twenty injured so far. Among them are two deceased children and four others wounded.
In Sutan village of Dar-e Noor district, a house roof collapsed due to the earthquake, killing two children and injuring four others.
Reports state six more injured individuals were transferred from Jalalabad city to regional hospitals; their health conditions are reportedly stable.
Nageebullah Rahimi, spokesperson for Nangarhar’s health department, confirmed that fifteen injured people were admitted to local hospitals.
Officials warned that current casualty figures are not final and may rise further.
Nangarhar authorities ordered security forces, public health officials, and emergency management teams to remain on high alert. They called for immediate support for affected families.
Afghanistan lies along the convergence zone between the eurasian and Indian tectonic plates making it prone to severe earthquakes.On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake killed over four thousand people-marking one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent decades. Earlier in July 2022, an earthquake measuring 5.9 devastated eastern regions leaving more than one thousand dead with at least fifteen hundred injured.
