Just days after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake devastated northern Afghanistan, a second tremor, with a magnitude of 5.5, struck the southeastern part of the country on Tuesday. The new quake has further complicated the already challenging rescue and relief efforts in a region grappling with a catastrophic loss of life and widespread destruction.
According to a report from Reuters, citing the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the epicenter of the Tuesday quake was located 34 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province. This new tremor has heightened fears and hampered ongoing operations to save people trapped under the rubble from the more powerful quake that hit late Sunday night.
Death Toll Climbs as Rescuers Race Against Time
The death toll from Sunday’s 6.0-magnitude earthquake continues to climb. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Taliban government, stated on X that at least 1,411 people have been killed and 3,124 injured in Kunar province, the hardest-hit area. He also noted that over 5,400 homes have been destroyed.
Rescue operations are continuing, but the difficult mountainous terrain and ruined roads are severely impeding access for aid workers and emergency teams. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, has expressed fear that the earthquake could have affected “hundreds of thousands” of people and has urged the international community to provide immediate assistance. Ratwatte said, “We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities has been saturated.”
Several countries, including India and the UK, have already dispatched humanitarian aid, with India delivering family tents and food supplies. However, the scale of the disaster is overwhelming, and authorities and aid groups are reiterating that more support is desperately needed.