The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck Afghanistan last week has passed 2,200, a Taliban government spokesman said on Thursday, confirming that hundreds of bodies had been pulled from the rubble of collapsed houses.
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck several mountainous provinces in the east of the country on Sunday evening, flattening entire villages and trapping residents under rubble. The hardest-hit area is Kunar, where most residents live in steep valleys surrounded by high mountains.
Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat announced that the death toll had reached 2,205 and added that search and rescue efforts were continuing without interruption. "Shelters have been set up for people and emergency aid is being distributed," he said, stressing the commitment of the authorities.
Difficult mountainous terrain and landslides are severely hampering rescue efforts. Authorities have used helicopters and airdropped troops to reach the most isolated areas. Aid workers report that they are often forced to walk for hours to reach besieged villages.
Humanitarian organizations warn that a lack of funding is limiting the response to the crisis, calling the disaster a “crisis within a crisis.” Afghanistan already faces major challenges, including climate change, a prolonged drought, a dire economic situation and the return of some 2 million refugees from neighboring countries.
