Afghanistan: Earthquake kills 280 in Paktika

 Afghanistan: Earthquake kills 280 in Paktika

At least 280 people have been killed in a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan's Paktika province last night.

According to photos shared on social media by local users, injured people in Afghanistan's Paktika province can be seen on stretchers, while the rubble of destroyed houses can also be seen.

The injured are being airlifted to hospitals by the Afghan government from remote areas where access is difficult.

The local news agency Bakhtar said the death toll could rise, while 600 people have been injured so far.

It should be noted that this earthquake came about 44 kilometers away from the southeastern city of Khost in Afghanistan.

"Unfortunately, last night a strong earthquake shook four districts of Paktika province, killing many of our compatriots and destroying several houses," Afghan government spokesman Bilal Karimi said on social media site Twitter.

Bilal Karimi appealed to all NGOs and agencies to send rescue teams to the affected area to prevent further damage.

According to local doctor,most of the casualties so far have been in the Gayan and Barmal districts of Afghanistan's Paktika province. A village in Gayan has been completely destroyed, according to local media website Information Rose.

According to Reuters news agency, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center said that the tremors were felt about 500 km away and its effects reached Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

According to the center, eyewitness accounts show that the tremors were felt from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to Islamabad, the federal capital of Pakistan.

But no casualties were reported in the quake in Pakistan.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.1 and started at a depth of 51 km. The quake struck at a time when most people were asleep.

It should be noted that Afghanistan is located in a region where there are many fault lines in the earth's crust including Chaman Fault Line, Hari Rad Fault Line, Central Badakhshan Fault Line and Darwaz Fault Line.

That is why earthquakes wreak havoc in Afghanistan, especially in rural areas where most of the houses are weak.

On the other hand, the decades-long civil war has made it difficult for Afghan governments to cope with natural disasters, even though international organizations have made efforts to secure many buildings over the years.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, while expressing sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan, said that "our Afghan brothers and sisters are with us in this difficult time."

He said that Pakistan would extend all possible assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

According to a press release issued from the Prime Minister's House, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also directed the concerned authorities to help Afghanistan.