Earthquake Death Toll Soars As Rescue Teams Search for Victims Buried Under the Ground and Destroyed Houses

At least 1,000 people have died and 1,500 have been injured as a result of Wednesday’s earthquake in southern and south-eastern Afghanistan, according to Mohammad Amin Hudhaifa, head of Taliban Information and Culture in the province of Paktika.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, claimed that hundreds of homes had been demolished and that the death toll was likely to climb since rescue teams and emergency workers are still looking for people who may be buried beneath the ground.

The earthquake of Wednesday that stuck Afghanistan’s south-eastern regions is the most catastrophic and the deadliest earthquake to have hit Afghanistan in the previous 20 years.

This unfortunate occurrence was poorly handled by the Taliban, according to the locals.

Five helicopters were sent to the location by the Taliban’s cabinet members approximately eight hours after the incident during an emergency meeting, to facilitate medical evacuation.

 The Taliban’s relief team is said to have reached the scene around 11 hours later at around lunchtime to aid the victims.

According to a local farmer who spoke to BBC, there were no official assistance workers there, but people of nearby villages and cities have come to the area to rescue individuals. “I arrived this morning, and I – myself – found 40 dead bodies,” he added.

Due to its location in a tectonically active area, Afghanistan is susceptible to earthquakes, according to seismologists.

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Source: The Khaama Press News Agency