Afghanistan suffered terrible tragedy late Sunday night, as a powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.0 disturbed eastern provinces, killing at least 812 people and injuring more than 2,800. This countries’ massive humanitarian emergency leaves entire villages lay in ruins, in hospitals flooded with casualties, and rescue teams racing against time to search for survivors trapped in rubble.
The earthquake: epicenter and effect
The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake hit at 11:47 p.m. local time on Sunday August 31. The earthquakes epicenter was about 27 kilometers (17 miles) northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, near the rugged border with Pakistan. The earthquake had a depth of only eight kilometers (five miles), so the shallow focus produced severe ground shaking and exacerbated the destruction through the mountainous Kunar and Nangarhar region.
Following the first tremor, and several major aftershocks including one that registered at 5.2 magnitude in the early morning, the mud-brick homes, and the low-rise concrete buildings with little structural capability to withstand this force of nature could do little to defend against its violence. Rescue workers and local officials indicated that countless villages were reduced to rubble, particularly in Kunar, in the districts of Nurgal, Suki, Watapur and Chapa Dara.
Casualties and damage
Government officials reported by early Monday that there was a total of 812 dead, and 2817 are injured in Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, and Nuristan provinces. Kunar province had the most deaths, where over 800 people had died, while Nangarhar reported at least 12 deaths and 255 injuries. Hospitals, especially Asadabad (Kunar) and Jalalabad (Nangarhar), were under an emergency with iemergency rooms filled and medical supplies running low.
Many victims are still trapped underneath the rubble of houses, and the death toll will keep climbing as search and rescues will continue. Afghan Red Crescent and community volunteers were working with the informal rescue teams organized by government officials, with the injured transported in helicopters or by stretcher wherever possible.
Survivors’ stories and rescue efforts
Pictures of despair and chaos are coming from the disaster zone. Sadiqullah, a survivor from Nurgal, explained that he had been trapped under rubble with his father for hours before neighbors were able to free them but they found his wife and two sons had perished. “We did not sleep until morning. The aftershocks kept coming we were all frightened”, echoed Faridullah Fazli, who also assisted in transporting injured persons to ambulances at Asadabad.
The topography and geography produced huge obstacles to relief teams. Flash flooding, landslides, and obliterated mountain roads made it impossible for many of the remote valleys to have emergency access, and there are concerns that entire communities that remain inaccessible may produce additional casualties.
International and humanitarian response
The magnitude of the destruction brought immediate offers for help from the United Nations. The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan” and promised to “leave no stone unturned in helping those in need.” United Nations teams are already delivering emergency supplies on the ground, the Afghan Defense Ministry has launched dozens of aid flights and sent hundreds of kilos of medical supplies to Kunar.
The Afghan interim government is facing what is likely its most serious natural disaster since the recent catastrophic floods and called for more international assistance as it has limited resources. As rescue and recovery work continues, more dead and injured will likely be discovered as communications are restored with the most affected areas.
Why Afghanistan is so vulnerable
Afghanistan is sitting on a network of tectonic faults, where earthquakes are a regular part of life and can be deadly. Many buildings consist of unreinforced mud bricks or poorly secured masonry. For individual Afghanis, living in this situation is very dangerous – especially during an earthquake. Several years of war, as well as a lack of support to build new infrastructure, have left entire provinces ill equipped for emergency and medical response.
As Afghanistan slowly tries to recover from this catastrophe, humanitarian support and international solidarity are vital for supporting survivors and rebuilding a traumatized community.