Kabul, Sept 01: A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, leaving at least 21 people dead and dozens of others injured, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
The quake shook Kunar province shortly after midnight, rattling homes and triggering widespread panic in the mountainous region, local sources told Al Jazeera. Several villages have reported heavy damage, with houses reduced to rubble and people trapped under debris.
“Initial reports confirm at least 21 fatalities and more than 50 injured, but the situation remains fluid,” a local official said, warning that many remote districts remain out of contact.
Rescue teams and local residents are engaged in frantic efforts to pull survivors from collapsed structures, though poor infrastructure and limited medical facilities are hampering emergency response. The mountainous terrain and ongoing aftershocks have made access to some areas extremely difficult.
