Kabul-Sana
The number of victims of the earthquake that hit the provinces of Khost and Paktika in southeastern Afghanistan, which measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, has risen to 1,500 dead and more than 2,000 injured, according to the latest official data.
Afghan media reported that the death toll had risen to 1,500, with the bodies of more victims being recovered, noting that the toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued for people who might be buried under the rubble after the earthquake caused severe damage and destruction of hundreds of homes.
The earthquake, which is considered the deadliest in decades, caused the complete destruction of hundreds of homes and many villages, in addition to the damage of communication towers for mobile phone networks.
Most of the victims were in the districts of Gayan and Barmal in Paktika, and the quake was felt in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Afghanistan is considered prone to many earthquakes because it is located in a geologically active region and contains large faults between the tectonic plates such as the Chaman fault, the Hari fault, the central Badakhshan fault and the Darvaz fault.