Johnson Progress

A devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 622 people and injuring over 1,500, according to the Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry.

The quake’s epicenter was near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, and tremors were felt in Pakistan as well.

Rescue efforts are underway, with local officials and residents working tirelessly to reach affected areas.

“The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” said Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry.

The health ministry has reported 330 injuries in the provinces of Laghman and Nangarhar, with 80 injured in Laghman and 250 in Nangarhar.

However, the figures for Kunar province are expected to be even higher, given the severity of the impact.

According to the BBC, 20 people died and 35 were wounded in a village in Kunar province.

While the health ministry has not provided a clear death toll due to limited mobile phone signal coverage in the affected area, reports from multiple sources in Kunar province suggest “hundreds are dead” and many more are injured.

The Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry has confirmed the death toll to be at least 622, with rescue operations ongoing to find missing people under the destruction and rubble caused by the strong tremors.

Emergency medical teams have been dispatched to the affected areas, but many hospitals are already overwhelmed.

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation, already grappling with humanitarian crises.

“We’re doing our best to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods,” said a health authority official in Kabul.

The quake has left a trail of destruction, with entire villages flattened and homes made of mud and clay bricks crumbling instantly.

Many families remain trapped under debris, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams continue digging through rubble in remote and inaccessible areas.