Kabul
The death toll from the devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan at the weekend has risen to more than 2,200, making it the deadliest quake in decades.
According to Taliban government figures, 2,205 people were killed and 3,640 injured in Kunar province, the worst-hit mountainous region near the Pakistan border. Another 12 people died in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. Officials warned that numbers could climb further as search teams continued to recover bodies from collapsed houses.
Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said on Thursday that rescue operations were still underway despite repeated aftershocks triggering landslides and blocking treacherous roads into remote villages.
Survivors in the badly affected Nurgal district remain stranded in makeshift shelters, with food and medical aid struggling to reach them. “People are starving, we haven’t had anything to eat for a long time,” said Zahir Khan Safi, a resident of Mazar Dara, where clashes broke out over limited food supplies.
The World Health Organisation warned that local healthcare facilities were overwhelmed, with shortages of medicines, trauma supplies and staff. It has appealed for $4 million to scale up mobile health services. “Every hour counts. Hospitals are struggling, families are grieving and survivors have lost everything,” said WHO emergency lead Jamshed Tanoli.
Aid agencies say the disaster compounds Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, already strained by conflict, drought and mass deportations from neighbouring countries. UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said the quake has affected more than 500,000 people, calling for urgent international support.
