Rescue efforts were underway in eastern Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful earthquake killed at least 800 people and injured more than 2,500, according to figures released by the Taliban government.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck late Sunday in Kunar province, near the city of Jalalabad in neighboring Nangarhar, causing widespread destruction.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers, making it particularly destructive. Several aftershocks followed.
Images shared by Afghanistan’s Public Health Ministry showed residents digging through rubble with their hands, injured victims being carried on stretchers, and mass funeral prayers for the dead.
“Five people were martyred in this house, and three from that house, and another three in the back. But one boy and one girl are still missing,” a villager in Kunar said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that most of the casualties occurred in Kunar. Poorly constructed homes made of mud bricks, wood, and low-quality concrete contributed to the high toll.
