Thousands of families were forced to spend their first night out yesterday, with no roofs over their heads, in areas of Afghanistan, after a 6 -magnitude earthquake that leveled entire communities, leaving behind 800 dead and 2,700 injured, while many inhabitants.
The earthquake struck the area shortly before midnight on Monday at 23:47 (local time; 22:17 Greek time), waking up hundreds of thousands of people, from Kabul to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, hundreds of kilometers from there. Followed at least five strong aftershocksbetween one size of 5.2 points.
The epicenter of the earthquake was found 27 kilometers from Jalalambad, the capital of the Nangarhar province, and The focal depth was just 8 kilometerswhich is likely to explain the very heavy account and the extent of the disasters in the mountainous provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Lagman.
In the Nurgal area, probably the heavier blow, in the province of Kunar, the endless seconds of the earthquake left a deep mental trauma to the inhabitants.
Houses ‘They collapsed on women and children’some of the victims ‘They were killed instantly, others were injured’told AFP the Zafar Han Gadjar22 years old, who was transported by helicopter along with his injured brother in Jalalabad.
In the village of Wadir, dozens of residents were still looking for hours after it was night, missing in the ruins of houses that turned into debris.
In Mazar Dara, another small community, families left the ground, among them children, wrapped in white savannahs, as they want a Muslim ritual.
From dawn until the darkness fell yesterday, helicopters took off dozens of times from Jalalabad to distribute help, carry staff and bring back dozens of dead and injured, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Many villages in areas that were hit harder remained inaccessible due to landslide blockages, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), part of the UN system, told the French Agency.
“The United Nations and our partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to immediately assess the needs, to distribute help that is urgently needed (earthquakes) and we are ready to mobilize to provide further support”noted by UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterresaccording to a statement released by his services in New York. A $ 5 million was disbursed in principle from the UN Central Reserve Fund (CERF), he said.
After recapturing power in Afghanistan, In August 2021the Taliban regime was already confronted with a devastating earthquake: in 2023in the province of Herat, at the other end of the territory, on the border with Iran, more than 1,500 people were killed and 63,000 houses were destroyed. That 6.3 -magnitude earthquake had been described as the most murderous in the country – one of the poorest in the world – in more than 25 years.
This time, according to a de facto government spokesman Zambioula Mujahidexpressed during a press conference in Kabul. In Lagman province there are dozens of injuries, according to the same source.
The Head of the Disaster Response Service in Kunar province, The Echohowever, warned AFP that “Investigations are continuing, many people remain trapped in houses and we cannot give an exact number.”
“She was scary, children and women were screaming”told the French Agency by phone Izaz Ulhak foran official in Nourgouk; the connection was still operating last night.
Most of them continued, the earthquakes had recently returned to Afghanistan from their exile in Pakistan and Iran, where successive waves of deportation were recorded lately – almost four million Afghans were repatriated.
“We had about 2,000 refugee families who had returned and intended to rebuild their homes.” In this rural area, he calculated.
Because of the fear of aftershocks, ‘Everyone was left out’in the countryside, he added.
Authorities, rescue and media outlets encounter many difficulties to reach villages and communities, as landslides have closed dozens of roads.
Afghanistan is often affected by strong earthquakes, especially the Hindu Cous Mountains area, near which the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plate intersects on the subsoil – 15% of the planet’s seismic energy is concentrated.
Since 1900, in the northeast part of the country have recorded 12 earthquakes higher than 7 degreesreminiscent of Brian Bapti of the British Institute of Geological Studies (BGS).
The one that took place on Sunday night to Monday made the atmosphere in the country. The Afghan national cricket, which welcomed the United Arab Emirates last night, has kept a minute’s silence in respect of the victims.
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Source :Skai
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