Earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan: at least 19 fatalities

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday night. The strong earthquake, centered in a mountainous area in northern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistani border, left at least 19 people dead and more than 200 injured. Furthermore, the tremor caused landslides and damaged buildings.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the tremors were felt over a 1,000 km region that includes India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. The affected area is more prone to experience earthquakes due to its location, at the juncture of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Ten fatalities were reported in Laghman province of Afghanistan and nine fatalities were reported in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Many people in the affected areas endured the cold after the earthquake to spend the night outside due to their fear for aftershocks. Deceased and injured have been taken to nearby hospitals.

The majority of the destruction appears to have occurred in Pakistan's Swat district while both nations have experienced issues with their phone connections. Moreover, a large multi-story residential building in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad was evacuated after significant cracks started to show in the structure. Obtaining information about the exact level of damage or fatalities in Afghanistan will take time due to the country's remoteness and rough terrain.

According to emergency personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the damage so far has been less than anticipated. Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, has requested that immediate action be taken by disaster relief organizations.

It should be outlined that the deadliest earthquake to hit Afghanistan in nearly 25 years struck the Paktika region in June of last year, killing more than 1,000 people.