One of Afghanistan’s worst earthquakes has killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, authorities say as they warn that the death toll could rise.
Helicopters ferried the wounded to hospital on Monday in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar as officials combed the rubble for survivors after a magnitude 6.1 tremor hit just before midnight on Sunday.
At least 812 people have died, government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference on Monday, as the disaster further stretches the resources of the war-torn nation already grappling with poverty, drops in humanitarian aid and the pushback of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants by neighbouring countries.
Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee told the Reuters news agency that rescue teams had been “mobilised to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided”.
The Ministry of Defence said it has flown 30 doctors and 800kg (1,764lb) of medical supplies into Kunar to support hospitals dealing with the aftermath of the disaster. At least 40 flights have carried away 420 wounded and dead citizens, the ministry added.
Resident Sadiqullah, who lives in the Maza Dara area of Nurgal, one of the worst affected areas in Kunar province, told The Associated Press news agency that he was woken up by a deep boom similar to the start of a storm.
Sadiqullah said he ran to where his children were sleeping and rescued three of them but could not get to the rest of his family before the roof fell on top of him.
“I was half-buried and unable to get out,” he said from Nangarhar Regional Hospital.
“My wife and two sons are dead, and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out,” he added.
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