The toll from the earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday has risen to 2,205, with 3,640 persons injured, AFP quoted the Taliban administration as saying on Thursday.
The magnitude 6 quake struck on Sunday at 11.47 pm local time near Jalalabad, close to the Pakistan border, at a depth of about 8 km. Shallow earthquakes tend to be more destructive.
The majority of the deaths were reported from the Kunar province, where over 6,700 homes were destroyed.
Since Sunday, several aftershocks have been reported in the region including two powerful ones in a span of 12 hours between Thursday and Friday, Reuters quoted the German Research Center for Geosciences as saying.
On Thursday, a shallow 5.6-magnitude quake hit near Jalalabad in Nangarhar, AFP reported. Hours later, a quake measuring a magnitude of 5.4 struck the region at a depth of 10 km, according to Reuters.
In the past 24 hours alone, the toll has risen by more than 700, AFP quoted the Taliban administration as saying. The figure could continue to rise as rescuers search for bodies in the rubble.
The administration’s Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said that “hundreds of bodies have been recovered from destroyed houses during search and rescue operations”, the news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said that local healthcare services were “under immense strain”, adding that there were shortages in trauma supplies, medicines and staff, AFP reported.
The agency appealed for $4 million to deliver health interventions, expand mobile health services and supply distribution.
It warned of disease risks due to overcrowded shelters, unsafe water and poor waste management, as the fragile healthcare system faces added pressure from a recent influx of Afghans deported from Pakistan, Reuters reported.
This is the third major earthquake to hit Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. The Taliban government had earlier appealed for international help.
Several countries, including India that has sent 21 tonnes of relief materials, have flown in aid to Afghanistan. On Thursday, China pledged around $7 million in emergency relief, including tents, blankets and food, AFP reported.
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