HERAT: Rescuers searched Tuesday for survivors of a powerful earthquake in a remote western region of Afghanistan that killed at least 22 people and caused “massive” damage to buildings, officials said.
Monday afternoon’s shallow 5.3-magnitude quake jolted Qadis district in Badghis province, a rural area not easily accessible by road.
“The earthquake caused massive damage to houses, about 700 to 1,000 have been damaged,” Badghis provincial spokesman Baz Mohammad Sarwary said in a video message.
Afghanistan is already in the grip of a humanitarian disaster, worsened by the Taliban takeover of the country in August when Western countries froze international aid and access to assets held abroad.
Sarwary said 22 people were killed and four were injured, revising the death toll from the previous figure of 26 he gave to AFP late Monday.
“There is the possibility that the casualties could increase,” he said in his latest video message.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the toll.
Images circulating on social media showed residents, including children, searching through the rubble of collapsed homes.
Government officials said rescue workers were helping search for survivors and transferring the injured to local hospitals.
A Taliban team was in the area assisting in the relief work.
Mujahid said that all government agencies had been instructed to provide the food, medical aid and shelter to those affected.
“We also call on international aid agencies and humanitarian agencies to assist the victims of the disaster,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter.
The epicenter of the quake was near the city of Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis, less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Turkmenistan border, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The United Nations has said it needs $5 billion in 2022 to avert the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.
A devastating drought has compounded the crisis, with earthquake-hit Qadis one of the worst affected areas.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
Even weak earthquakes can cause significant damage to poorly built homes and buildings in the impoverished country.
In 2015, more than 380 people were killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan when a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake ripped across the two countries, with the bulk of the deaths in Pakistan.
In that disaster, 12 young Afghan girls were crushed to death in a stampede as they tried to flee their shaking school building.
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Rescuers search for survivors after deadly Afghan quake
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Rescuers search for survivors after deadly Afghan quake
- Images circulating on social media showed residents, including children, searching through the rubble of collapsed homes
Nepal’s rapper-turned-mayor challenges ousted PM
Katmandu: Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will go into a head-to-head election battle with the veteran prime minister he helped unseat, as he champions youth demands that toppled last year’s government.
The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Katmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.
Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.
“Contesting against a major figure... signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.
“It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them,” he added.
Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Katmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi,” though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.
His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.
A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Katmandu mayor.
He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.
Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.
“We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.
- ‘Ripple effect’ -
In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.
RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.
If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.
“We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and health care for the poor.
Rather than contesting from his Katmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Katmandu.
“This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”
The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.
But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fueled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.
- ‘Grow our economy’ -
Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.
“Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.
“The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.
Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.
“We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.
Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.
“My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighboring nations,” he said.
And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.
“Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”
The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Katmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.
Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.
“Contesting against a major figure... signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.
“It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them,” he added.
Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Katmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi,” though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.
His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.
A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Katmandu mayor.
He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.
Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.
“We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.
- ‘Ripple effect’ -
In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.
RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.
If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.
“We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and health care for the poor.
Rather than contesting from his Katmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Katmandu.
“This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”
The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.
But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fueled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.
- ‘Grow our economy’ -
Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.
“Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.
“The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.
Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.
“We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.
Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.
“My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighboring nations,” he said.
And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.
“Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”
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