More than 800 killed after 6.0 magnitude quake rocks Afghanistan

More than 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the Taliban has said.

Numerous villages were destroyed as a result of the natural disaster, which affected an area close to the border with Pakistan.

The earthquake occurred at 11:47 pm local time on Sunday, around 27 kilometres northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey.

Another 4.5 magnitude quake hit the same area around 20 minutes later.

The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said the districts of Nur Gol, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare were hard-hit by the disaster.

“Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed,” said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health.

He added that the number of deaths and injuries were "expected to change" as rescuers combed the rubble looking for survivors.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, said “all available resources will be utilised to save lives".

One resident in Kunar province's Nurgal district said that almost all of his village had collapsed.

“Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble,” the man said.

“We need help here,” he pleaded. "We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.”

Many of the buildings in rural Afghanistan are built of mud bricks and wood, making them vulnerable to collapse in the event of an earthquake.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, with the worst one in recent memory hitting the country on 7 October, 2023.

The Taliban said that at least 4,000 people died in the 6.3-magnitude earthquake, while the UN put the death toll at about 1,500.