▲ Collapsed houses in Afghanistan due to the earthquake
The death toll from the earthquake that occurred on August 31st in eastern Afghanistan has exceeded 1,400 people.
The Afghan Taliban government, suffering from poor infrastructure and economic conditions, appealed for international help, and countries such as the UK and India were the first to offer assistance.
According to Reuters and other sources on the 2nd (local time), the magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred near Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan, at about 11:47 PM on August 31st. As of today, 1,411 people have died, and 3,124 have been injured.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban government, explained the scale of the casualties, adding that over 5,400 homes were damaged.
Afghan authorities continued their search operations for the second day in the earthquake-affected areas.
Village residents prayed and buried the deceased, wrapping them in white shrouds whenever a missing person was found dead under the rubble.
Some of the deceased were children, and the injured were transported to hospitals by helicopter.
Jafar Khan Gojar, a 22-year-old from Nurgal, Kunar Province, told AFP, “The walls and roofs have collapsed. Some children have died, and others are injured.”
AFP reported that the eastern region of Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan, was devastated by the earthquake.
In Kunar Province, where more than 600 deaths occurred, three villages were completely destroyed.
Some rescue teams are struggling to conduct rescue operations due to the rugged mountainous terrain and harsh weather, which prevent access to remote areas.
With communication networks down in some areas and many still missing, the human toll is likely to rise.
Ehsanullah Ehsan, director of the Kunar Province Disaster Management Authority, said, “We have conducted rescue operations in four severely affected villages and will now focus on accessing more remote mountainous regions. It is difficult to predict how many people might be missing under the rubble.”
Kathryn Mary, an officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), said, “In the earthquake-affected region, there has been significant rainfall over the past couple of days, increasing the risk of landslides. Many roads have also been blocked.”
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a 5.2 magnitude earthquake occurred at around 4:59 PM near the epicenter of the first earthquake.
AFP reported that the epicenter of the second earthquake was located 34 km northeast of Jalalabad.
Additional casualties from this earthquake have not yet been reported.
The Afghan Taliban government has allocated $145,000 (approximately 200 million won) for earthquake recovery and plans to invest additional funds if necessary.
However, due to the severe scale of the damage, they have appealed for international assistance.
The UK Foreign Office has decided to provide 1 million pounds (approximately 1.8 billion won) in emergency funds to Afghanistan.
These funds will be used to provide medical services and emergency relief supplies through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), rather than the Taliban government.
India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also delivered 1,000 emergency tents to Afghanistan and is transporting 15 tons of food to Kunar Province.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dispatched a rescue team and sent emergency relief supplies, including food, medicine, and tents to Afghanistan.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its readiness to provide disaster relief support within feasible limits if needed by Afghanistan, and Russia is reportedly considering assistance as well.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)