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Strong Earthquake kills more than 900 in Eastern Afghanistan, Taliban seeks help

A strong earthquake shook Afghanistan last night, killing at least 255 people

At least 920 people have been killed and 600 others injured in a major earthquake in Barmala, Ziruk, Naka and Gayan districts of Paktika province of Afghanistan last night. The death toll could rise if the Taliban rulers did not provide emergency help. According to the spokesperson of the Taliban regime,they don't have enough resources to provide relief and has asked the international agencies for immediate help.

“Unfortunately, last night there was a severe earthquake in four districts of Paktika province, which killed and injured hundreds of our countrymen and destroyed dozens of houses. We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe,” Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesperson tweeted asking for help. 

Pictures and videos of the quake shared on social media aftermath showed completely destroyed mud houses, with survivors, including children, searching the ruins for their belongings.

The quake struck about 44 km (27 miles) from the city of Khost, near the Pakistani border, at a depth of 51 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

"Strong and long jolts," a resident of the Afghan capital, Kabul, posted on the website of the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC)

Many survivors spent the night out in the open. Scattered aid has begun to reach the area but the vast majority of victims are still waiting.

“We lost everything we had. We are homeless. Everything is buried under the rubble,” a survivor whose house was ruined told AFP.

Afghanistan is already in the grip of a humanitarian disaster, worsened after the Taliban takeover of the country in August last year. 

Neighbouring Pakistan’s Meteorological Department put the earthquake at a magnitude 6.1. Tremors were felt in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, and elsewhere in Punjab province.