Afghanistan in Mourning After Earthquake; Over 800 Dead
At around midnight last night, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of approximately 27 kilometers near Asadabad, the capital of Kunar Province, and close to Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, announced that the earthquake in the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, and Nuristan had resulted in the deaths of 800 people and injuries to 2,500 others. He stressed that these figures are not final and that the death toll may rise. According to him, the highest number of casualties occurred in Kunar Province, while in Nangarhar, 12 people lost their lives and 255 were injured. In Laghman and Nuristan, 64 injuries were reported.
Officials from Afghanistan’s Natural Disaster Management Authority in Kunar Province stated that the casualties were recorded in the districts of Wata Pur, Manogi, Chapa Dara, Suki, and Nurgal, and that many people remain trapped under the rubble. Search and rescue teams from the capital and neighboring provinces have been dispatched to the affected areas.
Mujahid said that some villages in Kunar had been completely destroyed and that updated figures would be gradually collected and released. He called on international aid organizations to cooperate in addressing the crisis.
The United Nations expressed deep sorrow, stating that its relief teams had reached the affected areas and were providing emergency assistance. Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, also extended condolences to the families of the victims.
Following the disaster, Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, posted a message on the “NSosyal” platform offering condolences for the loss of hundreds of lives and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. The Turkish Embassy in Kabul also issued a message on social media expressing solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and stating that Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in the region.
