Powerful 6.0 Earthquake in Eastern Afghanistan Kills At Least 250, Hundreds Injured
Quake struck near Jalalabad at shallow depth; access to affected areas is difficult as officials warn toll could rise
JALALABAD, Afghanistan — A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday near the border with Pakistan, killing at least 250 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake at 11:47 p.m., centered about 17 miles (27 kilometers) east-northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province. The temblor was unusually shallow, around 5 miles (8 kilometers) deep, and shallow earthquakes typically produce more severe ground shaking and damage.
"Map showing eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan border."
The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that at least 250 people were killed and 500 others were injured, but the authority warned those figures were expected to rise as rescuers reached hard-to-access communities. Officials said the full extent of damage and casualties was not yet known because mountainous terrain and damaged roads were slowing assessments and relief efforts.
Hospitals in the region were reported to be overwhelmed by the influx of injured people, and local authorities called for immediate assistance. The U.S. Geological Survey's location places the epicenter in an area of rugged terrain along a volatile seismic zone where fault lines frequently produce tremors.
Smaller episodes of shaking were reported after the main shock. Seismologists commonly caution that aftershocks can continue for days or weeks following a quake of this size, posing added risks to damaged structures and hampering rescue operations.
The Afghan Interior Ministry and local disaster authorities mobilized emergency teams, but access problems and limited infrastructure in eastern provinces have complicated rapid deployment of aid. International relief organizations typically coordinate with local authorities in such events, though no comprehensive international response had been announced as of Monday morning.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, a separate, much larger earthquake off the coast of Russia earlier in the week prompted tsunami warnings and produced waves along parts of the Kuril Islands and Japan's Hokkaido, according to AP reports via NTV. Authorities in the Russian Far East also reported volcanic activity in the Kamchatka Peninsula in the wake of that quake. Those events are not connected to the Afghanistan tremor but underline heightened seismic activity in different parts of the globe this week.
Afghanistan sits along multiple fault lines and has experienced deadly earthquakes in the past. The country's often-fragile building stock and remote, mountainous communities make major quakes particularly destructive and complicate rapid emergency responses.
"Outline map of Afghanistan."
Authorities cautioned that casualty and damage figures were preliminary and expected to change as search-and-rescue teams reach isolated villages. Officials urged residents in affected areas to remain vigilant for aftershocks and to follow instructions from local disaster-response agencies.