At least 1,411 people have died in Kunar province, Afghanistan, which was hardest hit by the 6.0-magnitude earthquake.
This was announced by the spokesman for the Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid.
According to him, at least 3,124 people were injured and more than 5,400 houses were destroyed in the districts of Nurgal, Chavkai, Chapa-Dara, Pech-Dara, Watapur and Asadabad.
The earthquake struck around midnight on August 31 at a depth of 10 km with a magnitude of 6. The eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar were hardest hit.
A government spokesman says rescue operations are ongoing in all affected areas, with emergency services clearing rubble and transporting victims to safer places.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region, said there were fears that more people were trapped under the rubble. The UN coordinator in Afghanistan said the death toll was likely to rise.
According to Al Jazeera, Afghanistan is located in one of the most active seismic zones on Earth, and the Hindu Kush mountain range is a hotbed of both shallow and deep earthquakes. The area is very active due to the tectonic collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.
Surrounded by mountains, Afghanistan is prone to a number of natural disasters, but it is earthquakes that cause the most deaths, killing an average of about 560 people each year.
Studies show that since 1990, at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 5.0 have occurred in Afghanistan, Reuters notes.
The European Union has approved 1 million euros in humanitarian aid for the most urgent needs of the people of Afghanistan, where a strong earthquake occurred the day before.
The magnitude of the previous earthquake
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near the city of Herat on October 7, 2023. Strong aftershocks were felt in the neighboring provinces of Badghis and Farah. According to the British Red Cross, at least 2,445 people died.
Source: suspilne.media