250 killed, 500 injured in severe earthquake in Afghanistan

Kunar: A powerful earthquake in Afghanistan overnight killed 250 people and wounded 500.

According to a report by Afghan broadcaster Tolo News, officials from the Natural Disaster Management Authority in Kunar province have said that about 250 people have been killed and 500 injured in the earthquake that struck last night. These deaths were reported in Nurgal, Sawkai, Watapur, Manogi, and Chapa Dara districts.

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6 and its epicenter was 8 kilometers underground in the city of Jalalabad. Five more aftershocks of magnitude 4.5, 5.2, 5.2, 4.7, and 4.3 were felt after the earthquake.

Officials say that this number of deaths and injuries is not final because contact with residents of remote areas is still ongoing, and relief operations are also underway in these districts.

As a result of the earthquake, several villages in Nurgal district have been buried under the soil, and it is feared that hundreds more people are still trapped. Residents of the affected areas are appealing to the public to help them evacuate the injured and dead.

Rescue teams from the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Health have reached the area, while the injured are being transferred to Nangarhar Regional Hospital by helicopter.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also said last night that local authorities should use all their resources to save the people.

In addition to Kunar, there were casualties in Nangarhar and Laghman, while tremors of the earthquake were also felt in Kabul and some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.