A powerful earthquake has devastated eastern Afghanistan, leaving at least 500 people dead and more than 1,000 injured, according to state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA). The tremor, recorded at magnitude 6.0, struck on Monday at a shallow depth of 8km (6 miles), shaking buildings as far away as Kabul and Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, over 300 kilometres from the epicentre.
Taliban-led health authorities in Kabul said they were still working to confirm the official toll, noting that the full scale of destruction remains unclear due to the remoteness of the affected region. Entire villages have reportedly been destroyed, with dozens of houses buried under rubble. Officials have warned of high casualty figures, adding that landslides triggered by the quake have cut off access to several communities near the epicentre, complicating rescue and relief operations.
Yogita Limaye, reporting from Kabul, said locals described scenes of devastation, with residents trapped under debris and critical infrastructure damaged. Emergency teams are struggling to reach the hardest-hit areas, raising fears that the number of casualties will continue to rise.
The quake is one of the deadliest to hit Afghanistan in recent years, striking a country already grappling with humanitarian challenges. Rescue efforts are underway, but authorities say it could take days before the full extent of the disaster is known.
Melissa Enoch
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