6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Eastern Afghanistan
A powerful earthquake struck a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan early on June 22, killing at least 1,000 people.
The 6.1 magnitude earthquake is Afghanistan's deadliest since 2002. An estimated 1,500 others were reported injured, the state-run news agency said.
The disaster brings more difficulties to a country where millions have faced increasing hunger and poverty since the Taliban retook power in 2021, when the US and NATO withdrew from Afghanistan.
The takeover led to a cutoff of important international funding, and most of the world has shunned the Taliban government.
The Taliban leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, who almost never appears in public, pleaded with the international community and humanitarian organizations "to help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort."
At least 2,000 homes were destroyed in the region, said Ramiz Alakbarov, a UN representative to Afghanistan.
The quake was centered in Paktika, according to Pakistan's Meteorological Department. Experts put its depth at just 10 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage.
The European seismological agency said the quake was felt over 500 kilometers by 119 million people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The full extent of the damage caused in the mountain villages wasn't immediately known. The roads may have been badly damaged, and landslides from recent rains made access even more difficult.
Humanitarian agencies still operating in the country, including UNICEF, rushed supplies to the quake-stricken areas. And Pakistan said it would send food, tents, blankets and other supplies.
More than 60% of Afghanistan's population of 38 million already relies on international aid to survive.
"When such a big incident happens in any country, there is a need for help from other countries," said Sharafuddin Muslim, deputy minister of state for disaster management. "It is very difficult for us to be able to respond to this huge incident."
Getting more direct international help may be difficult: many countries, including the US, provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through the UN and other such organizations to avoid putting money in the Taliban's hands.
