Search for survivors after deadly Afghanistan earthquake

"Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors in the rubble of homes flattened by an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,100 people. The magnitude 6.0 earthquake, followed by at least five aftershocks, hit remote areas in mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan about midnight on Sunday. The head of the Kunar Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said on Tuesday that operations continued throughout the night. He said there were still injured people left in the distant villages in need of evacuation to hospitals."

"Villagers joined the rescue efforts, using their bare hands to clear debris from simple mud and stone homes built into steep valleys. Some of the hardest-hit villages remain inaccessible due to blocked roads, said the UN migration agency. The earthquake epicentre was about 27km (17 miles) from Jalalabad, according to the USGS, which said it struck at a shallow 8km (5 miles) below the Earth's surface."

"On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the organisation was working with authorities to swiftly assess needs, provide emergency assistance and stand ready to mobilise additional support, while announcing an initial $5m in aid. The death toll in the earthquake has risen to 1,124, the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region, said on Tuesday."

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border around midnight, followed by at least five aftershocks. The shallow quake killed more than 1,100 people, injured at least 3,251, and destroyed over 8,000 houses, with the epicentre about 27km from Jalalabad at an 8km depth. Rescue teams and villagers are clearing rubble by hand while operations continued overnight and distant injured awaited evacuation to hospitals. Some hardest-hit villages remain inaccessible due to blocked roads. The UN announced an initial $5m in aid and stood ready to mobilise additional support. Mud-brick homes proved highly vulnerable to collapse.

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