A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck June 22, shaking Afghanistan and killing at least 255 people in eastern Afghanistan. At least 90 houses have been destroyed in Paktika and dozens of people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Information is still scarce about the magnitude 6 earthquake that hit Paktika province. Still, it comes as the international community largely fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country last year amid a military backdrop America is chaotically withdrawing from the longest war in history.
That would likely complicate any relief efforts for the country of 38 million people.
The European-Mediterranean Seismic Center (EMSC) said some 119 million people living within 500km of the epicenter, including in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, had felt the tremors.
According to India Today, the Afghan capital Kabul and the Pakistani capital Islamabad felt the tremors.
Pakistani media also reported on the earthquake that shook Islamabad and many other parts of the country.
Mohammad Nassim Haqqani, head of the Taliban government’s disaster management agency, said most of the deaths were recorded in Paktika province, with 100 people killed and 250 injured.
In addition, the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Khost also recorded deaths, according to the Reuters news agency. Haqqani said local officials were counting the casualties.
Haqqani added that 25 people were killed in Khost province and five died in Nangarhar province. He also said investigations were underway to determine if there were additional casualties.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s state news agency Bakhtar reported that at least 255 people were killed and 155 injured in a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that shook Paktika province early on June 22.
According to local TV channel TOLO News, many houses have been damaged while efforts to pull bodies out of the rubble are ongoing.
Afghanistan is prone to frequent earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range due to its proximity to the intersection of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
