Cabul, Afghanistan (Reuters)-The death toll in Afghanistan’s worst earthquake in years jumped to over 1,400 on Tuesday, with thousands of injuries, authorities said, while the injured terrain hinders rescue efforts in isolated villages of the east mountain region of the country.
At least 1,411 people died, 3,124 were injured and more than 5,400 houses were destroyed, said Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
It is feared that more people are trapped under the rubble, the society of the Elder Red Crescent reported, a humanitarian group that operates in the region. UN coordinator in Afghanistan said the number of dead will probably increase.
Unique opportunity
Legacy Card: Far beyond a service
Afghanistan is likely to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the tectonic plates of India and Eurasia meet.
The magnitude 6 earthquake occurred around midnight, local time on Monday at a shallow depth of 10 km, with the oriental provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar being the hardest hit.
Rescue operations were performed in four severely hit villages in Kunar on Monday and efforts will now focus on reaching the most remote mountainous areas, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, Provincial Chief of Disaster Management.
Continues after advertising
“We cannot precisely predict how many bodies can still be stuck under the rubble,” said Ehsan. “Our effort is to complete these operations as soon as possible and start distributing help to affected families.”
The mountainous terrain and strict climate have made it difficult to access rescue teams to remote areas along the border with Pakistan, where the earthquake destroyed hundreds of clay houses and bricks.
Vehicle access through the narrow roads on the mountain ranges was the main obstacle, said Ehsan, adding that machines were being brought to clean the rubble of the roads.
Continues after advertising
On Tuesday, a line of ambulances was on the roller-damaged road, trying to reach the villages of Kunar, while helicopters flew over, bringing help supplies and taking the injured to hospitals, according to a Reuters witness.
Some of the injured were transferred to hospitals in Cabul and Nangarhar’s adjacent province, Ehsan said.
Thousands of children are at risk, warned the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday.
Continues after advertising
UNICEF has reported that it is sending medicines, warm clothing, tents and canvas for shelter, as well as hygiene items such as soap, detergent, towels, hygienic tampons and water buckets.
Taliban soldiers were mobilized in the area, providing help and safety. The disaster has further overwhelmed Taliban’s administration in the country devastated by war, which already faces a sharp drop in foreign aid and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghan by neighboring countries.
