Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 900
The English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and the Associated Press, reports that a fatal 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan shortly after midnight on Sunday, resulting in at least 900 deaths so far.
Yousef Hammad, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, told the associated Press that around 3,000 people have been injured in the quake.
He added that injured individuals are currently being transported to medical facilities, so these numbers may change substantially. The earthquake caused landslides and blocked roads in some areas; though, key routes have as been reopened. Additional roads will be cleared soon to enable rescue teams access to hard-to-reach locations.
The United States Geological Survey located the earthquake’s epicenter 35 kilometers north of Basawal village in Mahmand Dara district of Nangarhar province at a depth of 10 kilometers. Earlier reports had placed the death toll above 800, and authorities warned that this figure is likely to increase.
Local sources state that the quake caused extensive damage and casualties in Darah Noor district within nangarhar province.
The earthquake occured at 11:47 p.m. local time. Approximately twenty minutes later, a magnitude-4.5 aftershock struck the same area.
