Powerful 6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Eastern Afghanistan, Hundreds Dead

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck a remote, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan just before midnight local time on Sunday, killing at least 800 people and injuring more than 2,500, officials said Monday.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake’s epicenter was 27 kilometers (17 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad, near the Pakistan border, at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles). Aftershocks as strong as magnitude 5.2 rattled the area throughout the night.

Most of the fatalities occurred in Kunar Province, where entire villages were leveled and rescue teams are still digging survivors from the rubble, the provincial Disaster Management Authority said. Hundreds of additional casualties and widespread damage are expected as assessments continue.

In neighboring Nangarhar Province, at least 12 people were killed and more than 255 injured in Jalalabad and surrounding districts, according to a statement from provincial authorities. Many homes in the region are constructed of mud bricks and timber, making them especially vulnerable to collapse in a quake of this strength.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul that search-and-rescue teams, medical personnel and relief supplies have been dispatched from Kabul as well as nearby provinces. Helicopters evacuated more than 400 injured victims to hospitals in larger cities, he said.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan” and pledged that UN teams in the country “will spare no effort” to assist those affected. UN health teams are on the ground delivering emergency medical supplies and supporting local hospitals.

Afghanistan lies at the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, making it prone to powerful earthquakes. Last year, a 5.9-magnitude quake in the same eastern region killed over 1,000 people. Relief agencies warn that the combination of conflict, economic hardship and now repeated natural disasters is stretching already limited resources to the breaking point.