A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, close to the epicentre of the powerful weekend quake that killed more than 1,400 people, the US Geological Survey reported.
According to the USGS, the tremor’s epicentre was located 34 kilometres (21 miles) northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province.
The fresh quake came just two days after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit remote mountainous areas near the Pakistan border around midnight on Sunday, followed by at least five aftershocks. That disaster left thousands injured and caused widespread destruction.
Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest nations, has struggled to respond to such crises, with international aid dwindling since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Afghanistan earthquake: Death count soars to 1,400
Chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday that 1,411 people were confirmed dead and 3,124 injured in Kunar province alone. In neighbouring Nangarhar, another dozen people were killed and hundreds more wounded.
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, warned that the disaster could impact “hundreds of thousands.”
Rescue teams continued searching through the night and into Tuesday for survivors in Kunar, where more than 5,400 homes were flattened, Taliban government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said on X.
Also read: Death count crosses 1,400 as rescuers race against time to pull out survivors
