A powerful earthquake has flattened villages in a remote mountainous region of Afghanistan, killing more than 800 people and injuring thousands, Taliban authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
Casualties and destruction were reported across at least five provinces. Rescue teams spent the day pulling survivors from collapsed homes and airlifting the injured by helicopter as nightfall approached
“The search operation is still going on. Many people are stuck under the rubble of their roofs,” said Ehsanullah Ehsan, disaster management head in eastern Kunar province, warning that the death toll could climb further.
In Kunar alone, near the epicentre, around 800 people were confirmed dead and 2,500 injured, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid disclosed.
