Kabul [Afghanistan], November 5 (ANI): The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan on Monday night has risen to 27, with nearly 1,000 others reported injured, according to officials cited by Tolo News.
Many victims who lost their homes are currently taking shelter in school buildings, as survivors recount the devastation and hardships they now face with winter approaching.
Gulabuddin, a resident of Samangan province, said his house was completely destroyed, leaving him and ten family members homeless. He mourned the death of his pregnant daughter-in-law, saying, “When I ran outside, a brick fell on me and I was injured. My daughter-in-law, who was pregnant, was killed when the house collapsed. God saved eight other members of our family,” Tolo News reported.
In Khulm district, several families who lost their homes are also staying in schools and appealing for urgent assistance. “We need food and do not have a proper place to sit. Winter is approaching, and we have ten mouths to feed. My youngest child also became sick tonight,” said survivor Nasim Gul.
“Everything we had is buried under the rubble. We came to the school building, but here we have nothing,” added Mirza Mohammad, another survivor.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in the early hours of Monday, causing widespread destruction across the region. Preliminary reports indicated that the epicenter was in Samangan province, where most of the casualties and damage occurred.
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, confirmed that more than 960 people were injured across Samangan, Balkh, Baghlan, and Kunduz provinces. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that at least 512 residential houses were fully or partially destroyed in the affected areas.
According to NDMA data, around 418 injuries were reported in Samangan and approximately 435 in Balkh, with additional casualties in Baghlan, Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul, and Kunduz provinces. Authorities have warned that without immediate assistance from the government and aid organizations, displaced families could face a severe humanitarian crisis as winter sets in.
India has extended support to Afghanistan, delivering food items for families affected by the earthquake. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared images of the aid on X, writing, “Reaffirming its support to the Afghan people, India delivers food items for the families affected by the earthquake. India first responder.”
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also spoke with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to convey condolences over the loss of lives in the disaster that struck Balkh, Samangan, and Baghlan provinces.
The quake adds to a series of deadly earthquakes that have hit Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021, testing the regime’s capacity to govern amid dwindling foreign aid. Just two months ago, another earthquake in the east killed more than 2,000 people, according to Al Jazeera. (ANI)
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