Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Passes 1,400, Official Says

Jalalabad, Afghanistan (AP) – A great earthquake in the east of Afghanistan exceeded 1,400 on Tuesday, and more than 3,000 people were injured, the Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in the Social Platform X.

A UN official is confusing a “Racing against Time için to reach the mountainous and distant region, where the strong 6.0 -magnitude earthquake of the rescuers on Sunday is ruined.

The earthquake hit in several provinces and caused great damage. He flattened the villages and trapped people under the rubble of the houses, which were mostly built of mud bricks and wood and could not bear shock. Rough land prevents rescue and help efforts.

“We can’t forget the people of Afghanistan, who faced multiple crisis, multiple shocks and flexibility of communities, Ind Indaka Ratwatte, the UN’s Coordinator in Afghanistan, said.

He called on the international community to step forward. “While competing against time to reach people, these are life and death decisions.”

Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, the third largest earthquake and the latest crisis to feed Afghanistan, Deep cuts to help financingA weak economy and Millions of people He forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan.

Ratwatte said that when the walls of the wood and mud houses collapsed, the roof fell into the inhabitants and caused injury or death. While the region was low intensity, everyone hit the earthquake while sleeping.

“If you were to model on the basis of what happened before, there is no question that the wounded rate would be quite enlarged,” he said.

The Taliban government, known only by Russia, applied for help from foreign governments and humanitarian sector.

However, helping Afghanistan is insufficient due to global crises competing in donor countries and reduced aid budgets.

Against the restrictive policies of the Taliban government on Afghan girls and women, there is an opposition, including a prohibition for non -governmental organizations. Earlier this year, the United States gave Afghanistan aid money for his concerns to the Taliban government.

UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office in Afghanistan, Kate Carey, said that more than 420 health facilities are closed or because of the “great reduction in financing, 80 in the eastern region, the heart of Sunday’s earthquake.

Carey, as a result, the remaining facilities are overwhelmed, not having sufficient materials and personnel, and the first 24 to 72 hours of earthquake response at a time when the need for emergency trauma is needed at a time as much as the local facility is not as close to the population, ”he said.

– Associated Press journalist Jamey Keaten contributed to this report from Geneva.