Afghanistan was struck by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on Sunday, with the death toll so far at least 620 and more than 1,300 injured. The numbers are expected to rise, as in many areas an accurate count has yet to be made.
The quake’s focal depth was just 8 kilometers, and several aftershocks followed.
Buildings in Afghanistan are usually low-rise, made mainly of concrete and bricks, while houses in rural and remote areas are built from mud bricks and wood. Many are poorly constructed, making them vulnerable to natural disasters such as yesterday’s earthquake, as well as the one in 2023.
Afghanistan was hit on October 7, 2023, by a 6.3 magnitude quake, with the Taliban government estimating that more than 4,000 people were killed.
The affected areas are in northeastern Afghanistan, in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, near the city of Jalalabad, which has a population of around 300,000.
Jalalabad is a busy commercial city due to its proximity to Pakistan and the major border crossing between the two countries. While the municipality puts its population at around 300,000, its metropolitan area is considered much larger.
“We need help here,” a villager in Afghanistan told the Associated Press. “We need people to come here and help us. Let’s get the people out who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove the bodies from under the rubble,” he added.
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