A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving more than 800 people dead, according to preliminary reports from the UN’s humanitarian agency.
The quake, which occurred at a shallow depth of 8 km (5 miles), caused severe destruction across remote regions, with tremors felt as far as Kabul and Islamabad. Shallow quakes tend to be more destructive, and this one proved no exception.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, with helicopters attempting to reach isolated areas, where many are feared trapped under rubble. Eyewitnesses report that entire villages have been flattened, with some communities completely wiped out.
The true scale of the disaster remains unclear due to the inaccessibility of the hardest-hit regions, but the destruction is already being described as catastrophic.
