A 5.4-magnitude earthquake was felt on Tuesday in Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, and various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as per a statement from the Seismic Network of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The seismic center identified the epicenter in southeastern Afghanistan, at a depth of 22 kilometers. There were no immediate reports of damage from this latest seismic event.
The tremor’s epicenter was located near the site of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that hit late Sunday night, causing widespread destruction in remote, mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake late on Tuesday. The death toll from Sunday’s earthquake has continued to climb, with Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirming on Tuesday that 1,411 people were dead and 3,124 injured in Kunar province alone, calling it one of the deadliest quakes to strike the country in decades. An additional dozen people were killed and hundreds injured in the neighboring Nangarhar province.
Afghanistan, which is one of the world’s poorest nations, has seen a decrease in international aid since the Taliban came to power in 2021, which has weakened its ability to respond to disasters. Indrika Ratwatte, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, warned that the devastation could affect “hundreds of thousands.” Government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated on X that rescuers worked all night and throughout the day to search for survivors in the rubble of flattened homes in Kunar, where over 5,400 houses were destroyed. Fitrat also added that many of the hardest-hit areas were not accessible by road, but emergency facilities were being established, and several countries had pledged to send aid. The European Union announced it was sending 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and providing one million euros ($1.2 million) in assistance to the victims of the deadly quake.
