KABUL: The death toll from a strong earthquake in Afghanistan’s east rose to 900, with 3,000 people injured, an official said Tuesday as rescue teams scoured the area for survivors.
The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in a mountainous region, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours.
“The injured are being evacuated, so these figures may change significantly,” Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, told The Associated Press. “The earthquake caused landslides in some areas, blocking roads, but they have been reopened, and the remaining roads will be reopened to allow access to areas that were difficult to reach.”

“The situation is dire. In Kunar, entire villages have been completely demolished in at least one district. In Nangarhar’s Dare Noor, people have lost all their family members,” said Faqir Sayed Al-Hashimi from Ehsas Welfare and Social Services Organization, who was helping in rescue efforts on the ground.

“The government is deploying helicopters to reach the wounded, as vehicles can’t access the area. Community members are marching on foot toward Noorgal district, where most of the casualties occurred, but it will take them several hours to get there.”

Since the morning, the Defense Ministry has flown dozens of doctors into Kunar to support hospitals overwhelmed with casualties.

Many of the injured have been transported to Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province.

“Every few minutes, new ambulances are arriving from the Jalalabad airport. Military planes are transferring injured people from Kunar and Dare Noor,” Hazrat Nabi Nabizada, Najm Foundation coordinator, told Arab News from the Nangarhar Regional Hospital.

“Most patients are in critical condition and require orthopedic and neurosurgical care. We’ve lost count, but there are definitely over a thousand wounded at this hospital alone. Many others have been sent to private facilities.”

Casualties have also been reported in Laghman and Nuristan provinces.

“So far, we haven’t recorded any deaths in our province, but the number of injured is steadily rising. More than 60 injured people, including women and children, have already been brought to the provincial hospital,” said Jawhar Niazi, a volunteer with the Najm Foundation in Laghman

“We are mobilizing community members to donate blood to the injured and will be providing food to the family members visiting the hospital.”