5.2-magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan after different quake kills 1,400
What's the story
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey reported. The epicenter was located 34km northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province. This comes less than 48 hours after a devastating 6.0-magnitude quake struck remote areas near the Pakistan border, killing over 1,400 people and injuring thousands more.
Aftermath
First quake killed over 1,400 people
The first earthquake, which struck around midnight on Sunday, was followed by at least five aftershocks. It devastated the Kunar province, where over 5,400 houses were destroyed. Chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that 1,411 people were killed and 3,124 injured in Kunar alone. Emergency workers are still searching for survivors amid the rubble of flattened homes.
Relief efforts
UN warns of humanitarian crisis
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, said the earthquake could affect "hundreds of thousands." The European Union has pledged 130 tons of emergency supplies and one million euros in aid. However, funding cuts have limited access to remote communities. Villagers are joining rescue efforts by clearing debris with their bare hands from mud and stone homes built into steep valleys.
Seismic activity
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes due to its location in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Herat province, killing over 1,500 people and destroying more than 63,000 homes. A similar quake struck Paktika province in June 2022 with a magnitude of 5.9, leaving over a thousand dead and tens of thousands homeless.