Hundreds killed as 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan, destroying villages, officials say

(ABC NEWS) — A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, destroying several villages, killing at least 812 people and injuring scores more, according to local officials.

The powerful earthquake struck just before midnight on Sunday near the border with Pakistan, with its epicenter about 17 miles east of Jalalabad, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Almost all of the deaths were in Kunar Province, where 800 people were killed and another 2,500 people were injured, officials said in a statement shared by Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesperson.

Another dozen people were killed in Nangarhar Province, said Mufti Abdul Matin Qani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior. At least 255 were injured in that province, officials said.

In a phone interview with ABC News, Shah Mehmood, a Taliban government official in Nangahar Province said more people are feared trapped under rubble in remote villages.

Deadly earthquakes have struck Afghanistan several times in recent years, including a 5.9 magnitude quake in June 2022 and a 6.3 magnitude one in October 2023. The death toll for each of those quakes rose to over 1,000 people, local officials said in their aftermaths.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said in a statement on Monday that its local staffers were “deeply saddened” by the devastating quake, which “claimed hundreds of lives, injuring many more.”

The Afghan health minister said that several villages in the Nurgal district of Kunar — including Sholt, Arit, Mamagal, Wadir and others — had been all but destroyed. Others suffered significant damage, the minister said.

Some of the injured had been evacuated and rescue efforts were ongoing, the ministry said.

“Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces,” Mujahid said in a post on social media.

Mujahid said support teams from nearby provinces had been dispatched to the area.

The Ministry of Defense said a 10-member crew flew some 40 flights out of the area, carrying 420 people to hospitals, including the Daoud Khan Military Hospital. The National Disaster Management Authority said a convoy carrying response teams was en route to the affected areas in Kunar.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan began coordinating with other international agencies after the quake, saying its “partners are on the ground initiating immediate relief efforts.”

The U.N. would “spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

“I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today,” he said on social media. “I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”

Rescue efforts by local officials were ongoing, with 200 Taliban soldiers deployed to assist in retrieving survivors, Mehmood said. Two helicopters and 30 ambulances were also being used in the rescue operations.

The Taliban official added that among the worst-hit areas are Nurgal and Siringal in Kunar Province, as well as several villages in Shaman District, which have been completely destroyed. Darr-e-Nur in Nangarhar Province has also sustained significant damage.

Mehmood noted that reaching out to some of the affected regions remains difficult due to communication blackouts and poor cell service coverage.