40 h. ago Afghan earthquake deaths top 2,200, survivors face aid crunch

Rescuers on Thursday pulled bodies from the rubble of homes razed in Afghanistan’s earthquakes as the confirmed death toll topped 2,200, while homeless survivors faced a bleak future with global aid agencies warning of dwindling resources. Search operations continued in the quake-hit mountainous eastern areas, the Taliban administration said, announcing a new death toll of 2,205 with at least 3,640 people injured. “Everything we had has been destroyed,” said Aalem Jan, whose house in the...

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69 h. ago Afghan commandos airdrop to quake zones where helicopters can’t land

Afghanistan airdropped commandos on Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble of homes in mountainous eastern areas ravaged by earthquakes this week that have killed 1,400, as it ramped up efforts to deliver food, shelter and medical supplies. The first earthquake of magnitude 6, one of Afghanistan’s worst in recent years, unleashed widespread damage and destruction when it struck the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar around midnight on Sunday at a shallow depth of 10km (6 miles). A second...

Politics

3 d. ago Afghanistan quake death toll passes 1,400 as rescuers search for survivors

Rescue teams scoured Afghanistan’s mountainous east for survivors on Tuesday, as the death toll from a strong earthquake rose to 1,411, a Taliban government spokesman said on Tuesday. More than 3,000 people are injured, Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities had earlier said the death toll was about 900. The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late on Sunday night in several provinces, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours. It damaged or...

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4 d. ago Taliban asks world for help in wake of Afghanistan earthquake

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration made an appeal for help on Monday after one of the country’s worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800. Rescuers were struggling to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather. The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation’s Taliban government, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by...

Politics

4 d. ago Taliban asks world for help in wake of deadly Afghanistan earthquake

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration made an appeal for help on Monday after one of the country’s worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800. The appeal came as rescuers struggled to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather. The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation’s Taliban government, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of...

Events

5 d. ago Earthquake strikes eastern Afghanistan, hundreds feared dead

Hundreds are feared dead following a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, in a mountainous area close to the border with Pakistan, local officials said on Monday. State-owned Bakhtar News Agency reported that at least 250 people died, and that 500 people had been injured. The quake at 11.47pm was centred 27km (17 miles) east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8km (5 miles) deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause...

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5 d. ago Major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan leaves at least 500 dead: report

Around 500 people have been killed and 1000 more injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Monday, the country’s state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) reported. Taliban-led health authorities in Kabul, however, said they were still confirming the official toll figure as they worked to reach remote areas. “So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a foreign office spokesperson said. The quake was centred...

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5 d. ago Major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan kills more than 600 people

About 622 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, authorities said on Monday, as helicopters ferried the wounded to safety from rubble being combed in the hunt for survivors. The disaster will further stretch the resources of the nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighbouring countries. The quake of magnitude 6 injured more than 1,500, the Taliban-run Afghan...

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5 d. ago Death toll from earthquake in eastern Afghanistan passes 800

More than 800 people were killed in one of Afghanistan’s worst earthquakes, authorities said on Monday, as helicopters ferried the wounded to hospital after they were plucked from rubble being combed for survivors. The disaster will further stretch the resources of nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighbouring countries. The quake of magnitude 6 killed at least 800 people and another 2,500 were injured in Kunar...

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