Taliban officials said at least 250 people were killed and more than 500 injured in Afghanistan after a 6.0-magnitude richter earthquake on the night of August 31.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred in the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan at night.
Because the earthquake occurred in remote mountainous areas, "it will take time to get accurate information about the damage to people and infrastructure. We have launched a large-scale rescue operation and mobilized hundreds of people to help people in affected areas," said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Afghanistan Public Health Ministry.
Afghanistan is particularly prone to earthquakes due to being located on the top of some faulty roads, at the intersection of the Indian and Asia- Europe tectonic plates. The mountainous terrain in eastern Afghanistan is also prone to landslides, making it more difficult for rescue forces to approach.
The latest earthquake in Afghanistan was particularly devastating as it occurred quite far, only 8km, leading to much greater devastation, although the intensity of this earthquake was only average.
About 1,000 people died and many others were injured in 2022 when a 5.9-magnitude richterake occurred in eastern Afghanistan. It was also a rural earthquake.
