The 6.0-magnitude quake struck a remote mountainous location in eastern Afghanistan, where many people live in substandard mud brick and wood dwellings.
The death toll in Afghanistan’s powerful earthquake rose above 1,400 people, with many more injured, the Taliban claimed Tuesday, as rescuers fought to reach survivors stuck in isolated districts.
It was epicentered 17 miles east of the city of Jalalabad at a shallow depth of 5 miles, where even minor earthquakes can inflict significant damage.
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on multiple fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian plates converge.
According to Taliban authorities, the most of the killings have occurred in the border region of Kunar, where the populace lives in steep valleys in poorly constructed dwellings made of mud brick and wood.
And, despite the region’s low population density, the earthquake occurred when everyone was sleeping, destroying the rooftops above.
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More people are feared trapped under rubble, said the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region. The United Nations coordinator in Afghanistan said the toll was likely to rise.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Unicef said it was providing medications, warm clothes, tents and tarpaulins for shelter, as well as hygiene supplies including soap, detergent, towels, sanitary pads, and water buckets.
Taliban troops were stationed in the region to provide aid and protection.
Rescue teams and authorities were working fast to dispose of animal corpses in order to reduce the danger of pollution to water supplies, according to a UN official on Monday.
“Damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks, and remote locations of many villages severely impede the delivery of aid,” the World Health Organisation stated, adding that the quake has affected over 12,000 people.
Authorities predicted that deaths would climb further when rescue teams reached more remote sites, many of which remained inaccessible more than 24 hours after the initial earthquake struck.
Experts urged the international community to intervene and give assistance, pointing out that the country’s rescue and relief agencies were barely working.
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