Death toll exceeds 1,400 in Afghanistan earthquake

Over 1,400 people died from the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, according to a Tuesday update from Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. About 3,100 others were injured and about 5,400 homes were also destroyed, Fitrat added. The disaster left people in remote villages trapped under the rubble of flattened homes and businesses. Officials noted that Kunar and Nangarhar provinces suffered the most from the quake.

Any search and rescue updates? Emergency workers continued to battle rough terrain while trying to reach impacted areas. Hundreds of first responders were airdropped into hard-to-reach areas to pull people from the rubble, Fitrat said. Officials established a home base in the Khas Kunar district where assistance and materials can be organized, he added. Emergency officials continue to oversee the transferring of injured patients, rescue operations, and victim burials in the area, Fitrat said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the UN would spare no efforts assisting locals, and emphasized the urgent need for additional resources. Afghans had already been suffering from severe drought and mass migration before the earthquake, Dujarric said during a Tuesday briefing. The international body deployed over two dozen assessment teams to the region and is supplying critical resources to reachable areas, but casualties are expected to rise, Dujarric added.

De facto Taliban authorities are flying hundreds of medevac patients to hospitals and clearing blocked roads, while humanitarian partners are mobilizing additional air assets to reach more victims, he said. Dujarric identified emergency shelter, medical supplies, drinking water, and food assistance as the most pressing needs.

International bodies are funding various non-governmental humanitarian aid groups to respond to the disaster, rather than give money directly to the country’s Taliban-run government. Dujarric said the UN’s deputy emergency relief coordinator, Joyce Msuya, released $5 million to fund Afghanistan relief, a donation which the Afghan Humanitarian Fund planned to match. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed for more international support, reporting that less than 30% of the necessary earthquake relief had been provided.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s previous report for more background on the earthquake.