More than 1,000 people have died after a powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake yesterday in a city in Afghanistan.
It was the deadliest earthquake in the country since 2002.
The Taliban’s top leader has called for international help, but what kind of help is on the way?
What do we know about where he hit?
Most of the deaths occurred in Paktika, but the surrounding provinces were also affected by the quake.
The quake occurred in Paktika province, about 44 kilometers from the southeastern city of Khost, near the Pakistani border, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Experts estimate its depth at only 10 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes usually cause more damage.
Here is what we know most about the disaster that has affected the rural and mountainous region:
- In addition to the more than 1,000 people killed, there are reports of another 1,500 injured
- At least 2,000 homes have been destroyed. According to the UN representative in Afghanistan, an average household is home to seven or eight people
- Houses are usually built of stone and mud bricks
- The recent rains in the area have caused landslides and made it difficult to access
- The province where the quake struck had a population of about 775,000 by 2020, according to the European Asylum Agency.
- The quake was felt 500 kilometers away by 119 million people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, according to the European Seismological Agency.
Barmal district in Paktika province was one of the places affected by the earthquake. (Map data: Google © 2022 CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies)
What has been the experience on the ground?
Resident Shamira is in the hospital with her one-year-old grandson, who is being cared for after being hit in the head by a piece of rubble. She is among the thousands of people who have lost their homes and need help.
“Three of our relatives were trapped under the rubble. We have nothing left of the house. If someone buys a tent, we will find a place to put it and live in it, we have no choice.”
Resident Gul Faraz was treated for injuries to his wife and children at a Paktika hospital. He said some family members had been killed.
“We were all sleeping at home … and the room fell on us.
“All the houses in our area were destroyed, not one, but the whole region.”
Resident Firdaus Khan told the ABC that the only public hospital in the province had been overwhelmed by the quake victims.
“Most of the victims are women and children because they fell asleep due to the calamity … there is an absolute shortage of resources, doctors and everything else needed.
“People don’t know what to do.”
Resident Dalil Khan said thousands of homes had been ruined.
“About 2,000 to 2,500 houses have been completely destroyed and many people were injured. All the houses are destroyed and now we need tents and all the other necessary items,” Khan said.
A Paktika province hospital worker said rescue efforts were underway.
“There are still a lot of people buried underground. Rescue teams from the Islamic Emirate have arrived and with the help of the local population they are trying to remove the dead and wounded.
Kabul tailor Ruh Ullah said he was traumatized and worried by relatives in the region.
“Ever since I heard about the devastation at home, I’ve been crying, cell phone connections aren’t working properly and no one is telling me if members of my extended family are alive or not.”
Healthcare director Stefano Sozza, the country’s director in Afghanistan of the Italian medical aid group Emergency, said the group has sent seven ambulances and personnel to areas near the quake zone.
“The fear is that the casualties will increase even more, also because many people could be trapped under collapsed buildings.”
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Why is Afghanistan so vulnerable to earthquakes?
This will be the seventh earthquake to kill more than 100 people since 1991, and the deadliest in two decades.
The country has a long history of earthquakes, many in the mountainous region of Hindu Kush bordering Pakistan.
Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to earthquakes because it is where the tectonic plates of Eurasia, Arabia and India are located.
It is also found in the Alpide belt, which is an extension of mountain ranges prone to seismic activity.
The death toll has been exacerbated by the remote locations of many earthquakes and decades of war that have left infrastructure in dangerous condition.
The UN says Turkey is best prepared to offer aid to Afghanistan.
These are the most recent deadly earthquakes in Afghanistan:
- 1997, Qayen: more than 1,500 dead in Iran and Afghanistan
- 1998, Takhar: At least 2,300 people died with some estimates raising the death toll to 4,000
- 1998, Takhar: 4,700 dead in the same region just three months later
- 2002, Hindu Kush twin earthquakes: 1,100 people die
- 2015, Hindu Kush: 399 people killed in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan and India.
How did the Taliban react?
The disaster has been another test for Taliban rulers in Afghanistan and relief agencies already struggling with the country’s multiple humanitarian crises.
Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzadah, who is almost never in public, has called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to “help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and spare no effort.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has been providing assistance. (Reuters: Parish)
Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, said the Taliban had not formally requested that the UN mobilize international search and rescue teams or obtain equipment from neighboring countries to supplement the few dozen ambulances and several helicopters sent by Afghan authorities. .
However, officials from various UN agencies said the Taliban had given them full access to the area.
Humanitarian agencies still operating in the country, including UNICEF, brought supplies to the quake-hit areas.
How have other countries responded?
Pakistan said it would send food, tents, blankets and other essentials and India has also spoken out and said it will help.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said it was not aware of any U.S. aid request from the Taliban government in Afghanistan after the quake.
The United States expects the humanitarian response to the disaster to be a topic of conversation between the Taliban and U.S. officials in the coming days, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has described the disaster as “heartbreaking”, acknowledging that the local Afghan community has lost many relatives and loved ones.
Senator Wong says Australia will work with partner nations to respond to the humanitarian emergency.
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The country director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Afghanistan, Neil Turner, said the group was already assessing the damage in Khost province, near the epicenter.
“We need to make sure that the aid reaches the places that are needed effectively,” he said.
ABC / children
Posted 2 hours, 2 hours ago, Thu, June 23, 2022 at 5:43 AM, updated 1 hour ago, 1 hour ago, Thu, June 23, 2022 at 6:38 AM