At least 280 people have been killed in a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, according to Taliban officials.
Key points:
- Most of the confirmed deaths occurred in Paktika province, where 100 people died
- The quake affected 500 km
- There were no immediate reports of injuries or casualties in Pakistan
Most of the confirmed deaths occurred in Paktika province, where 100 people died and 250 were injured, said the head of the Taliban administration’s disaster management authority.
Deaths were also reported in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Khost, he added
Authorities are looking for more victims.
The quake was felt for about 500 kilometers by some 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said in a tweet.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths in Pakistan.
Rescue operations in progress
Eyewitnesses told the ABC that the quake occurred late at night when people were sleeping in the war-torn country.
Ruh Ullah, a Kabul tailor from Paktika province, said he was traumatized by the quake.
A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry said they would appreciate the help of any international organization. (Bakhtar News Agency)
“Ever since I heard about the devastation at home, I’ve been crying, cell phone connections aren’t working properly and no one is telling me if members of my extended family are alive or not,” he said.
His hometown of Barmal was one of the hardest hit areas in southeastern Afghanistan.
Firdaus Khan, a resident of Sharana, the provincial capital of Paktika province, told the ABC that the province’s only public hospital of nearly a million people had been crushed by the quake victims.
“Most of the victims are women and children because they fell asleep due to the calamity … there is an absolute shortage of resources, doctors and everything else needed,” she said.
“People don’t know what to do.”
Bakhtar state news agency reported that more than 280 people had died in the disaster.
He said rescue operations had been launched to minimize possible deaths and loss of property.
Taliban authorities, who have not been recognized by any country since taking power in Kabul in August 2021, have reported losses throughout the southeastern region, which includes Paktika, Paktia, Logar provinces. Khost and Logar.
ABC / Cables
Posted 1 hour 1 hour ago Wed, 22 June 2022 at 05:58, updated 7 m ago, 7 minutes ago Wed, 22 June 2022 at 07:32