#Afghanistan Earthquake : Measuring 6.1 On Richter Scale Claims At Least 1000 Lives, Injuring Many; Challenge For Taliban Government

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A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.1 shook an eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border early Wednesday, killing at least a 1000 people and injuring 600 others, according to a media report.

The earthquake could not have come at a worse time as the country continues to reel under a severe economic crisis and food shortage following the Taliban takeover in August last year.

Neighbouring Pakistan’s Meteorological Department said the epicenter of the quake was 44km southwest of Khost in Afghanistan at a depth of 50.8km. The quake struck at 1:54 am (local time).Footage from Paktika province showed people being carried into helicopters to be airlifted from the area. Others were treated on the ground.

Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the Information and Culture Department told AFP, “people are digging grave after grave,” adding that at least 1,000 people had died in that province alone. “It is raining also, and all houses are destroyed. People are still trapped under the rubble,” he told journalists.

According to news agency AP, Information remained scarce on the magnitude 6.1 temblor near the Pakistani border, but quakes of that strength can cause severe damage in an area where homes and other buildings are poorly constructed and landslides are common.

he death toll, given by Afghan emergency official Sharafuddin Muslim, made it the deadliest quake since 2002, when a 6.1 magnitude temblor killed about 1,000 people in northern Afghanistan immediately after the U.S.-led invasion overthrew the Taliban government. Muslim said 600 more people were injured.