Afghanistan Earthquake: Over 600 Killed, More Than 1500 Injured

Over 600 people have been killed and more than 1500 injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The quake's epicentre was 22 miles north of Bāsawul, Afghanistan, and it had a depth of 6.2 miles. It struck at 11:47 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry has stated that at least 622 people are dead in the earthquake.

Naqibullah Rahimi, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Department, confirmed that"15 people were injured and taken to the local hospital for treatment. A second, magnitude 4.5 quake with a depth of 10 kilometres occurred in the same province approximately 20 minutes later.

The authorities from the health department said that the workers are finding difficult to reach to the remote hamlets. "Figures from just a few clinics show over 400 injured and dozens of fatalities," ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman claimed in a statement.

The country has a history of devastating seismic events. On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and strong aftershocks struck, with the Taliban government estimating at least 4,000 perished while the U.N. reported around 1,500 deaths. More than 90% of those killed were women and children, according to UNICEF.

In June 2022, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan resulted in more than 1,000 people and injuring more than 1,500 others. This event was particularly destructive because it was shallow, occurring at a depth of "just 10km (6 miles) under the earth's surface."

The quake on Sunday was even shallower, at 8km (5 miles).