At Least 1,100 Dead After Devastating Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan

Over 1,100 people are dead and at least 3,000 others were injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan, destroying entire villages.

The quake struck on Sunday at around midnight local time, with the tremors originating at a shallow depth of around 5 miles. Due to the epicenter's rural location, various villages and small towns were the worst-hit, but the nearby city of Jalalabad was also significantly impacted in the disaster. The impact of the earthquake was also felt over 87 miles away in the capital of Kabul, and several towns in Pakistan also reported shaking.

The two provinces primarily impacted by the earthquake were those of Nangarhar and Kunar, located along Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan. Within these regions, entire villages were destroyed as the shaking sparked massive landslides, with boulders wiping out rural roads, homes, farms, and even entire villages in the middle of the night. Due to inadequate living conditions, the population density is often much higher than a building can support, and poor infrastructure makes buildings more susceptible to disasters– most homes in Nangarhar and Kunar are made out of mudbrick.

Additionally, the isolation of many villages has made it extremely hard for search-and-rescue teams to access the area– many towns lack so much as a road to allow transportation from nearby cities. Because of this, many teams have been forced to use helicopters to access the most remote regions, but the country's supply of these vehicles is limited.

However, heavy rain in the days prior to the quake had also loosened the soil, leading to an increased frequency of landslides and rockslides. These landslides then destroyed any roads that did exist in the mountainous region, leaving search-and-rescue teams with no other option.

Furthermore, healthcare in remote regions of Afghanistan also remains an issue, forcing citizens to travel outside the region to access adequate medical care. The Taliban, a terrorist group which currently maintains control over Afghanistan, has confirmed that they are more concerned about the injured than the dead, and are working to transport injured citizens to hospitals before they begin searching through the rubble.

The death toll is expected to rise further in the coming days as search-and-rescue operations begin uncovering the bodies buried beneath the rubble, but efforts are ramping up as aid pours in. The nation is receiving support from other organizations and countries, including India, Pakistan, Japan, the European Union, and the United Nations. Other Afghanis are also helping with the efforts, with hundreds of men in other cities donating blood for those affected by the disaster.

Unfortunately, large earthquakes are very common in the Hindu Kush region, where the Indian plate slips underneath the Eurasian plate. While the junction of the two plates forms the Himalayan mountains to the east, the Hindu Kush mountains to the west are even more earthquake prone. Due to this subduction fault, massive earthquakes are extremely frequent in the region– Sunday's quake is already Afghanistan's third major earthquake since the Taliban took over in 2021.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Castoreum, a scented oil which is naturally secreted by beavers’ butts, used to be an ingredient in various food additives and perfumes.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): You should never go to a meeting or make a telephone call without a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve. (Steve Jobs)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Epitome (noun, ih-PIT-uh-mee) - Epitome means "a perfect example." It is usually used in the phrase "the epitome of," as in "the epitome of elegance."

In a Sentence: In his tailored suit and fashionable haircut, he was the very epitome of style.

Image credit to Reuters