Key Points:
- Remote mountain villages devastated; survivors dig through rubble.
- Rescue operations hampered by blocked mountainous roads
- International aid trickling in as UN releases $5m.
Islamabad/Kabul: More than 1,411 people have been killed and over 3,000 injured after a powerful earthquake struck Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, Taliban main spokesman said Tuesday.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said at least 5,412 homes were destroyed across several districts including Nurgal, Chawkay, Chapa Dara, Pech Dara, Watapur, and Asadabad, the provincial capital of Kunar province.
The shallow quake, just 8km (5 miles) deep, struck near the city of Jalalabad, with strong tremors felt as far away as Kabul and Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. Earlier authorities warn the death toll could rise significantly as many remain trapped under collapsed mud-brick homes.
Rescue operations
Hamdullah Fitrat, a deputy spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban government told WE News English that relief and rescue operations were continuing in the affected areas. In locations with landing problems for the aeroplanes, dozens of commando personnel were airlifted by helicopters to pull the wounded from the rubble and transfer them to safe places.
Relief camps has also been set up in districts, where committees are organizing the distribution of essential supplies and emergency aid.
Survivors trapped in remote villages
Earlier, the Taliban government reported at least 800 deaths in Kunar and 12 more in neighbouring Nangarhar, with more than 2,500 people injured. Laghman province has also reported dozens of casualties.
Ehsanullah, head of Kunar’s disaster authority, told AFP that rescue operations continued through the night but were hampered by blocked mountain roads.
“There are still injured people left in distant villages who need urgent evacuation,” he said.
Helicopters from Jalalabad have been deployed to ferry the injured to hospitals, but aid agencies warn it could take days to fully assess the scale of destruction.
Families bury their dead
Local residents, many of them returnees from Pakistan and Iran, joined rescue efforts using bare hands and shovels. Villagers wrapped the bodies of children and adults in white shrouds before burying them in makeshift graveyards.
“There is a lot of fear and tension… children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this,” said Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, an agriculture worker in Nurgal district, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Humanitarian response
The UN has released $5m in emergency aid, saying it was preparing hot meals and blankets for survivors. “We are working with authorities to swiftly assess needs and mobilise support,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Inju
International assistance has also started arriving:
Fragile response capacity
Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries, faces a deep humanitarian crisis worsened since the Taliban takeover in 2021, when foreign aid was slashed. The United States, once the largest donor, cut almost all funding after President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
With over four million Afghans forced back from Pakistan and Iran in recent years, many live in vulnerable mud-brick homes that collapse easily during quakes. Experts warn shallow tremors like Sunday’s often cause disproportionate destruction.
A 5.9-magnitude quake in Paktika province in June 2022 killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
Uncertain days ahead
The Taliban has appealed for more international assistance as search-and-rescue missions continue. “The situation is catastrophic. Entire villages are gone,” said one official in Kunar.
Blocked roads, destroyed infrastructure, and limited medical capacity mean the full impact of the disaster may not be known for days. Aid workers fear the death toll will climb as rescuers reach cut-off communities.
