More than 800 killed in Afghanistan earthquake

• 610 people killed in Kunar, 12 died in Nangarhar: authorities.
• Rescuers race to reach hamlets in area with history of quakes.
• Administration using helicopters to ferry out those affected.

KABUL: The death toll from a powerful 6-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan has risen to over 800, the Taliban government spokesman said Monday, with the majority in remote Kunar province.

Some 800 people died and another 2,500 were injured in Kunar, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital Kabul, adding that the toll of 12 dead and 255 injured in Nangarhar province had not changed.

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighbouring countries.

"All our [...] teams have been mobilised to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided," ministry spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee told Reuters, citing efforts in areas from security to food and health.

In Kabul, the capital, health authorities said rescuers were racing to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.

The earthquake was Afghanistan's deadliest since June 2022, when tremors of magnitude-6.1 killed at least 1,000 people.

Images from Reuters Television showed helicopters ferrying out the affected, while residents helped soldiers and medics carry the wounded to ambulances.

The quake razed three villages in Kunar, with substantial damage in many others, authorities said. At least 610 people were killed in Kunar, with 12 dead in Nangarhar, they added.

Rescuers were scrambling to find survivors in the area bordering Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where homes of mud and stone were levelled by the midnight quake that hit at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Military rescue teams fanned out across the two provinces, the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that 40 flights carried out 420 wounded and dead.

"So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work," a foreign office spokesperson said.

PM Shehbaz offers 'all possible support'

Expressing condolences over the loss of lives, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: "Deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which shook Kabul & was also felt in various parts of Pakistan".

"With reports confirming hundreds of precious human lives lost & villages destroyed, our hearts go out to the victims and their families. On behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences & prayers to the bereaved families," the PM said in a post on X while expressing solidarity with Afghan brothers & sisters in this hour of grief.

PM Shehbaz further said that Pakistan was "ready to extend all possible support in this regard".

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar extended condolences.

"On behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan, I extend our deepest condolences to the brotherly people and Government of Afghanistan for the tragic loss of precious lives caused by the devastating earthquake that struck Eastern Afghanistan last night," Dar said in a post on X.

"Our hearts go out to the families and communities affected by this calamity. We pray for the swift recovery of those injured and for strength to all those impacted during this difficult time," he added.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

A series of earthquakes in its west killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world's poorest countries to natural disasters.

— With additional input from AFP