Afghanistan: At least 1,000 killed and 1,500 injured after 6.1 magnitude earthquake

 

At least a thousand people have been killed and more than 1,500 injured after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan, officials have said.

The quake struck about 27 miles (44km) from the city of Khost, close to the country's border with Pakistan, and was at a depth of 31.6 miles (51km), according to the US Geological Survey.  

"The death toll is likely to rise as some of the villages are in remote areas in the mountains and it will take some time to collect details," interior ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi said.

The majority of the fatalities were in the province of Paktika. Footage from the area, near the Pakistan border, showed victims being carried into helicopters to be airlifted from the area.

Bakhtar News Agency posted images of destroyed stone houses and the injured being treated in hospital.

 

"A severe earthquake shook four districts of Paktika province, killing and injuring hundreds of our countrymen and destroying dozens of houses," tweeted Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesman for the Taliban government.

"We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe."  

It comes amid an economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in August last year and the withdrawal of US-led international forces after two decades of war.

Its already fragile economy, heavily dependent on aid, has been crippled by Western sanctions on its banking sector and billions of cuts in aid.

Tremors were felt over a range of around 310 miles (500km) by about 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said in a tweet. 

https://news.sky.com/story/afghanistan-at-least-255-killed-after-6-1-magnitude-earthquake-12638214  

Taliban fighters secure a government helicopter to evacuate injured people in Gayan district, Paktika province, Afghanistan. Pic: Afghan government news agency via AP