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Peshawar – A massive and lethal earthquake has caused havoc in the eastern part of Afghanistan, and the death toll has hit 738 with more than 2,000 injured.
A spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed that the extent of the destruction is appalling. Mujahid added that in Kunar, there have been 800 martyrs and 2500 injured, with another 12 martyrs in Nangarhar.
Most of the victims were those living in remote locations where the traditional mud houses were fully demolished, a sad sight as recounted by those who managed to survive.
The Co-ordinated Rescue and Relief Operation
The Afghan government has initiated a large-scale rescue mission in response to the humanitarian disaster. So far, over 60 helicopter missions have been made to the affected areas, with over 420 injured persons successfully transported to hospitals in other provinces. The National Disaster Management Authority is making efforts to access the survivors and victims who have not been found in the rubble.
Offer of Support from Pakistan
Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Pakistan Foreign Minister and deputy Prime Minister, invited the acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to express his condolences and assure him of the support of Pakistan.
The Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, also held a meeting with the Minister of Interior Affairs of Afghanistan, Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, and expressed sympathy and solicitation towards the treatment of the injured and the provision of humanitarian aid. Minister Haqqani, in a gesture of cross-border empathy, thanked and also offered condolences to the victims of the recent floods in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces of Pakistan.
A Region Prone to Seismic Activity
Afghanistan is in a high-risk area of earthquakes; it is located between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. There has been a history of destructive quakes in the country, one of which struck in 2022, killing over 1,000 people.
The mass use of informal housing and poorly built adobe houses in rural places, combined with the fact that the rural population is highly susceptible to even moderate seismic shaking, has left the population very vulnerable, as observed by the experts.
