More than 800 people have been confirmed dead, while approximately 2,800 others sustained injuries after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, officials announced on Monday.
According to reports from Reuters, helicopters have been deployed to airlift the wounded as emergency teams continue to search through debris in hopes of finding survivors.
The natural disaster comes at a critical time for Afghanistan, a nation already grappling with severe economic challenges, reduced foreign assistance, and the return of thousands of displaced citizens from neighboring countries.
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Health authorities in Kabul revealed that rescue teams are facing difficulties accessing remote villages located in regions historically prone to devastating earthquakes and floods.
Footage obtained by Reuters Television captured helicopters transporting victims from the affected zones, while local residents joined forces with soldiers and medical personnel to carry the injured into waiting ambulances.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that three villages in Kunar Province were completely destroyed, while numerous other settlements sustained extensive structural damage.
Rescue efforts are now concentrated on communities close to the Pakistan border, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where houses built with mud and stone collapsed following the quake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles).
“So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a spokesperson from the Afghan foreign office stated.
Afghanistan remains highly vulnerable to earthquakes, especially within the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates intersect. In a similar tragedy last year, a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.
