Devastating earthquake kills dozen in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Dozens of people were killed and wounded in Afghanistan and Pakistan after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck some parts of the two neighboring states that also created fear among the citizens.

With the epicenter at northern Afghanistan, the earthquake also rocked India, and the tremors were felt in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China and Kyrgyzstan.

People in Afghanistan were in panic, and immediately took to the streets to avoid a second jolt if there was any. They were really afraid, and immediately reckoned the recent earthquake that killed hundreds of people.

“It was early evening when the earthquake happened and we rushed toward the exit door,” Zahir Akbari, an Afghan resident in the capital city Kabul said.

It was really terrifying as it kept shocking the city for a while. “We are living in an area where there are not many sky-rocketing buildings, otherwise there would be much prosperity, destruction and human casualties,” he said.

The US Geological Survey put the epicenter at the Hindu Kush Mountains in the sparsely populated northeastern Badakhshan province, 40km southeast of Jurm village at the considerable depth of 187km.

15 dead and 29 wounded in Afghanistan

Though the Taliban confirmed less earthquake-related casualties, local news agencies put the death toll at 15 people. Another 30 were wounded in the incident that mainly affected people in Panjshir, Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Laghman. Other provinces, including Kabul the capital city, were shocked that it had no human casualties and property damages.

Two people lost their lives in Takhar and 10 more, including children, received injuries. Additionally, at least 20 homes were completely destroyed.

At least four people, from one family member, lost their lives in Badakhshan province. Two among the casualties were children.

JURM, AFGHANISTAN: Residents clear debris from a damaged a house at Sooch village in Jurm district of Badakhshan Province on March 22, 2023, following an overnight earthquake. AFP

Human casualties and prosperity damages were also reported in Laghman and Panjsher. Over 15 homes were also destroyed in Laghman, while in Panjsher, three homes were destroyed.

Taliban spokesman for the ministry of national disaster management said that 65 homes were destroyed as a result of the earthquake. He also confirmed the death and injury of 50 people, but did not specify the numbers.

10 dead and 62 wounded in Pakistan

At least ten people died, including two children, and 62 were injured in Pakistan, according to the country’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

Another ten homes were completely destroyed and another 55 had been partially damaged. The USGS reported a magnitude of 6.5, but the Pakistan Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude of 6.8.

One of the worst earthquakes in Pakistan was in 2005 with 7.6 magnitudes that hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, shaking Islamabad and Azad Kashmir. At least 79,000 people were killed, and more than 32,000 buildings collapsed in Kashmir in that time. Further fatalities and destruction were also reported in Afghanistan and India, but Pakistan was hit harder.

The last one was in January this year, in which two earthquakes jolted Islamabad with a 5.6 magnitude while a 5.6 magnitude struck Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Afghanistan’s worst earthquake

The region has been widely hit by the earthquakes in the past some months. The worst hit was in Turkey recently, in which tens of people were killed and hundreds more wounded and the same number saw their homes destroyed completely.

However, Afghanistan was also hit with a deadly earthquake last year with a magnitude of 6.1 that struck eastern Afghanistan, killing over 1,000 people and injuring several others.

In the last two decades, there were three deadly earthquakes that took the lives of hundreds of people and wounded hundreds more.

One of the deadliest was when it shocked Nahrin district of Baghlan province in which 1,800 residents were killed and over 4,000 others were wounded.