Helicopter teams lead Afghanistan rescue as earthquake kills more than 800-Video

Kabul: Rescue efforts, led by helicopter teams, are underway in eastern Afghanistan following a devastating magnitude 6.0 earthquake that has killed more than 800 people and injured hundreds more.

The disaster management head in eastern Kunar province, Ehsanullah Ehsan, reported that many victims are trapped under the rubble of their collapsed mud-brick homes. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggle to reach remote areas. According to the UN migration agency, some of the most severely impacted villages remain inaccessible due to road blockages.

The earthquake also caused casualties in neighboring provinces, with 12 people killed and 255 injured in Nangarhar, and 58 injured in Laghman.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, announced that an initial $5 million has been released from the UN's global emergency response fund to aid the relief efforts. The UN is working with local authorities to assess needs and provide emergency assistance. The disaster unfolds amid a difficult funding outlook for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, as funding was significantly reduced following the return of the Taliban in 2021.

The shallow depth of the quake, just 8 km (5 mi), is believed to have contributed to the extensive damage. The majority of homes in the affected areas are low-rise, mud-brick structures that are highly vulnerable to collapse.

Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, a member of the agricultural department in Nurgal, described a scene of "fear and tension" with "children and women screaming." He added, "We had never experienced anything like this in our lives."

The Vatican, in a post shared by Pope Leo XIV, expressed that he was "deeply saddened by the significant loss of life" caused by the quake.

Many of the earthquake victims were among the more than four million Afghans who have recently returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan. Afghanistan is prone to frequent seismic activity due to its location near the junction of the Eurasia and India tectonic plates. The country has been hit by several major quakes in recent years, including a 6.3-magnitude quake in October 2023 that killed over 1,500 people and a 5.9-magnitude quake in June 2022 that left more than 1,000 dead.

Ravaged by four decades of war and with foreign aid slashed, Afghanistan is already grappling with a series of humanitarian crises. According to the UN Development Programme, approximately 85% of the Afghan population lives on less than a dollar a day.