ISLAMABAD (dpa): The death toll from a series of earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan has climbed to 812, with 2,817 people said to be injured, according to figures released by the Taliban government on Monday.
Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the numbers are expected to rise as rescue teams continue work in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
"In some villages, people who are injured or have died are still trapped under the rubble," he said at a press conference in Kabul.
The eastern province of Kunar is the worst affected, followed by Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan and Panjshir.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 6.0 quake struck at 1917 GMT on Sunday, just before midnight local time, near the border with Pakistan.
The tremor occurred at a depth of 8 kilometres and was followed by several lower-intensity aftershocks, USGS said.
Officials said four villages in Kunar were completely destroyed and many others were partially damaged. Communications have been disrupted, complicating rescue efforts. Emergency response teams from the Defence Ministry have been deployed to evacuate the injured.
Residents in Kunar complained to local media that they were still waiting for assistance, as the exact scale of the crisis in the country, which is reeling from decades of conflict, remains unclear.
"Children, women and the elderly are trapped under the rubble. There is no one here to rescue them," one resident of Ghaziabad village told TOLOnews, describing the aftermath of the midnight quake that destroyed entire communities.
"Nearly 95% of the houses in our village have been destroyed," another eyewitness reported. "We have many dead and injured."
Desperate for help, residents pleaded: "We need vehicles, doctors, everything to evacuate the injured and recover the bodies."
Aid agencies say entire villages remain cut off due to blocked roads, damaged infrastructure, and ongoing aftershocks. They warn that the humanitarian crisis could worsen without immediate support.
"Among the worst affected areas, entire villages have been destroyed while heavy rains and flooding prior to the earthquake has left much of the mountainous areas inaccessible,” the International Rescue Committee said in a statement.
"We are profoundly fearful for the additional strain that this disaster will have on the overall humanitarian response in Afghanistan.”
Save the Children added, "Aftershocks are continuing, causing terror for children and heightening the risk of further damage and casualties."
UN Secretary General António Guterres extended his condolences on X.
"I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today," he wrote.
Several countries, including Iran, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Japan, the UAE and Qatar - as well as the EU in Afghanistan - have offered support. Among them, neighbouring Iran has pledged to boost relief efforts.
Foreign Office spokesman Ismail Baghai said Tehran is ready to help immediately with rescue operations in the affected areas.
India has donated 1,000 family tents and 15 metric tons of food supplies.
"Further relief material will be sent from India starting tomorrow,” Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar announced after a phone call with the Taliban foreign minister.
In October 2024, a similar earthquake in western Herat province killed around 1,500 people and injured nearly 2,000, according to the United Nations.
Afghanistan has been isolated internationally since the Islamist Taliban regained power in August 2021, which might complicate relief assistance. So far, only Russia has officially recognized the Taliban regime. - dpa
