A spokesperson for Kabul’s governor has said at least eight people have died
An earthquake had hit parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the Associated Press reports.
The spokesperson for Kabul’s governor said at least eight people are dead. The region is highly seismically active, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years.
Friday’s earthquake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 5.8, had an epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 93 miles east of the Afghan city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre and the United States Geological Survey.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesman for the Kabul governor, said eight people were killed and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the outskirts of the capital. He said all were members of the same family.
With the epicentre at a depth of more than 180km, the quake was felt across a wide swathe of Afghanistan and Pakistan.It was felt in the areas of Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said Kabul and provincial health authorities had been put on alert.
Last August, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people, levelling villages and trapping people under rubble.
Most casualties were in the province of Kunar, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.
In November, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the province of Samangan in northern Afghanistan, killing at last 27 people and injuring more than 950.
It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan’s famous Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.
On October 7 2023, a 6.3 magnitude quake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.


You must be logged in to post a comment Login