At least 610 dead as eastern Afghanistan hit by earthquake

An earthquake in Afghanistan’s east has killed at least 610 people, injured 1,300 and destroyed numerous villages, a spokesman for the Taliban government said on Monday.

The 6.0 magnitude quake late Sunday hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangahar province, causing extensive damage.

The quake at 11.47pm local time was centred 17 miles east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said.

It was just five miles deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.

Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed the casualty figures to the Associated Press, saying the late-night quake killed 610 people and injured 1,300 in Kunar. Many houses were destroyed.

In Nangarhar, a dozen people died and hundreds were injured, said Mr Qani.

“Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed. The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area,” said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health.

He said many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that “the numbers were expected to change” as death and injuries are reported.

Nearby Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity with neighbouring Pakistan and a key border crossing between the countries.

Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, its metropolitan area is thought to be far larger.

Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, and its outlying areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood. Many are of poor construction.

Jalalabad also has considerable agriculture and farming, including citrus fruit and rice, with the Kabul river flowing through the city.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on October 7 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished in that quake.

The UN gave a lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.