Earthquake kills more than 1,000 in Afghanistan

By Mahbub Hasan Tutul, Dhaka Correspondent:

The death toll from a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan has risen to more than 1,000. Besides, 1,500 people were injured in the incident. The country’s culture and information department has confirmed the information.

Earlier, Interior Ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi said the death toll could rise in remote mountainous villages and it would take more time to get complete information.

The quake hit the Afghanistan-Pakistan border early Wednesday,(June 22) while people were asleep.The Pakistan Meteorological Department’s National Seismic Monitoring Center and the European Mediterranean Earthquake Center (EMSC) said the quake had a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale. The US Geological Survey (USGS), however, recorded a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.

The epicenter was reported below the epicenter in Khost, Afghanistan, at a depth of 44 km.

According to the EMSC, the quake affected about 500 km area. This shook not only Afghanistan but also neighboring Pakistan and India.

Most of the people in the area were asleep when the quake struck early in the morning. As a result, many people lost their lives when they were crushed under the collapsed house before they understood anything.

Afghanistan is a very earthquake prone country. According to the United Nations, more than 7,000 people have been killed in earthquakes in the last 10 years. Earthquakes kill an average of 560 people in Afghanistan each year.