IRIA News

More than 1,000 dead and nearly 1,500 people injured as Afghanistan hit by deadliest earthquake in 20 years

Afghanistan was hit by its deadliest earthquake in decades, killing more than 1,000 people and wounding at least 1,500, according to local officials. The disaster comes at a tough time when the country is facing acute food shortages and economic crises.

The magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the country’s east in the early hours of Wednesday, June 22, around 46 kilometers (28 miles) southwest of the city of Khost, close to the border with Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Officials warned that the death toll would likely rise as the details emerged slowly from the remote mountainous regions where homes are poorly constructed and landslides are common. Afghanistan’s state-run Bakhtar News Agency and officials from disaster management authorities said that more than 1000 people were killed during the earthquake, and the toll is expected to increase in the coming hours as the information trickles down from remote villages in the mountains.

The death toll currently stands at more than 1,000 and at least 1,500 people have been injured “in Gayan and Barmal districts of Paktika province,” according to Mohammad Amin Hozaifa, head of Paktika province’s information and culture department.

A team of medics and seven helicopters remained active throughout the day, transporting injured people to nearby hospitals, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said.

The Afghan government immediately announced that 1 billion afghanis (over $11 million) for cash and other assistance for earthquake-affected people.

Afghan authorities have appealed for immediate humanitarian assistance. “We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe,” said Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government.

Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has also expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed the concerned authorities, departments, and officials to carry out immediate relief for the affected families.

The eastern province of Paktika is among the most affected regions with reports of large-scale damages in Giyan, Nakai, Barmal, and Zerak. In Khost province, the area of Seprai was reported to be most affected by the early morning tremors.

Paktika region of Afghanistan is a sparsely populated province and also one of the poorest. The region has a very rough terrain which is not suitable for cultivation. Residents of this region usually rely on small-scale farming and forest woods to make a living. Most of the residents in this area live in earthen homes, which resulted in a far more devastating situation as such structures are not prone to sustain against any sort of natural disaster.

UN agencies rush to help Afghanistan

UNHCR has deployed staff to the most affected areas in Paktika and Khost provinces. The UN agency is rushing supplies and staff to assist the affected people. “It is heart-breaking to see this tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan on top of the ongoing humanitarian crisis that Afghans are going through every day,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “UNHCR stands with Afghans at this difficult time and will make all efforts to provide relief to those affected.“

The Afghan Red Crescent, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has also mobilized staff and volunteers to respond to the unfolding crisis and address the urgent needs on the ground. The aid teams dispatched ambulances, relief items, and food supplies to areas hardest hit by the quake.

“The people of Afghanistan have already been through so much. Today’s quake is another tragedy,” said Susan Malandrino of the American Red Cross. “Before the quake struck, the country was already struggling with repeated crisis and more than half of the population was in need of humanitarian assistance,” Malandrino said.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country has plunged into a devastating poverty crisis resulting in pushing at least 97% of the Afghan population below the poverty line. Earthquakes are posing yet another threat to the traumatized nation that has been through decades of wars. Many of the country’s densely populated cities and towns are near geological fault lines, some of which can produce earthquakes of up to 7 in magnitude. If an earthquake ever hits the area between Kabul and Jalalabad, it is estimated that it would affect seven million people.