Peshawar – The devastating earthquake has caused havoc in the eastern part of Afghanistan, killing more than 250 and injuring hundreds of people, with the death toll expected to increase as rescue teams continue the operation.
The earthquake, which Reuters reported to have had a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale, also generated waves across the border into Pakistan, where the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has already initiated its response by issuing orders to all district administrations to be on high alert.
Although the effect in Pakistan is relatively small, the destruction in the eastern part of Afghanistan, in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, is enormous, and the deaths and the destruction of properties have been documented extensively.
Casualties Mount in Afghanistan
The western part of Afghanistan, especially the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, has suffered the most as the earthquake has allegedly wiped off whole villages.
A press release issued by the Kunar Directorate of Natural Disaster Management confirms that at least 250 have been killed, with another 500 injured in the districts of Nurgal, Suki, Watapur, Manogi, and Chapa Dara. All the government departments have been mobilized, and the local officials have declared a state of emergency in the province of Kunar.
The BBC was informed by a source in the provincial hospital in Kunar that 50 individuals were hospitalized with injuries, and one had died of his injuries. It has been reported that most of the casualties were University of Kunar students trying to escape their rooms when the buildings collapsed.
In Nangarhar province, the officials of the Health Department verified that 10 individuals had been killed and 250 injured, nine of whom had been killed in the Dara Noor district only. Local officials in the two provinces have warned that this number is not final and that it will rise as the rescue teams access remote, inaccessible regions.
The extent of the damage is devastating. Villages such as Piran, Sowkai district, and Shormash, Adir, and Mama Gul villages have all been reported to be flattened to the ground.
The devastating figure of 95 per cent of the houses in the Nurgal district of Kunar portrays a bleak outlook of the humanitarian catastrophe developing. The wounded people are being airlifted to Jalalabad to receive medical care since hospitals in the nearby area are overwhelmed.
Pakistan on High Alert After Tremors
Pakistan disaster management authorities reacted quickly to the earthquake tremors that Reuters reported as having 6.2 on the Richter scale and could be felt as far as the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
The PDMA affirmed the earthquake was felt in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where its magnitude was first reported to be 5.4.
The PDMA Emergency Operation Centre immediately got in touch with all the district administrations, asking them to be on their guard and ready to respond to any possible emergencies. As the process of gathering information about damages is still ongoing, no reports of loss of life or property have been received in the PDMA control room yet.
The population has also been encouraged to report any untoward incidents by calling the emergency helpline at 1700. The purpose of the coordinated response is to guarantee the rapid and effective mobilization of resources in case of further development of the situation.
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