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More than 600 people have been confirmed dead and over 2,500 injured after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan early on 1 September.
Most families were asleep when the quake struck around midnight local time in Kunar province. Children have described waking in terror as homes collapsed around them, and families fled in panic to try and find safety. Multiple aftershocks continued throughout the night.
The numbers of dead and injured are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. Many of the worst-affected areas are remote and mountainous regions. Roads have been blocked by landslides and rescuers have to reach some of the worst-hit villages by foot or evacuate casualties by helicopter.
“Entire villages have been turned into mud and rubble in Kunar and the death toll is rising every hour. Thankfully Islamic Relief’s team in the affected region is safe and we have now deployed an emergency health team to get urgent aid to survivors,” Ibrahim Ahmed Alhomadi, Islamic Relief’s head of programmes in Afghanistan, says.
healthcare, food, water and shelter. The affected areas are remote, rural and mountainous, “People have lost everything and desperately need and landslides and floods make it even harder to reach them. These are poor villages and many of the homes are made from mud or flimsy materials that completely collapsed.”
The impact of the quake is particularly severe as the earthquake was very shallow, just 5 miles (8 kilometres) below the surface of the earth. The response is further hampered by severe flooding that swept through Kunar and neighbouring Nangarhar provinces in the 2 days before the earthquake.
Tremors were felt across Nur Gal, Sawki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapa Dara districts in this mountainous province. Further 4.5 tremors happened in Basawul in the adjacent province of Nangarhar.
Fatalities and injuries are feared to be much higher as the affected districts are in remote and difficult to reach areas. However, helicopters are being utilised to bring injured people to Kunar city.
Islamic Relief has deployed an emergency response team to provide critical services to survivors. The current response is focused in areas of Kunar province to provide essential health services including mother and child healthcare, treatment of injuries, nutrition support, and addressing trauma.
Our response over the coming days and weeks will include:
Your donations can help save lives. Donate to the Afghanistan earthquake appeal today.