• Source:JND
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Afghanistan was jolted by another earthquake on Tuesday as a 5.5 magnitude tremor struck the region, just two days after a powerful 6.0 magnitude quake killed over 1,400 people and injured more than 3,000. According to the US Geological Survey, the latest quake hit at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), while Sunday’s deadly earthquake had its epicentre at a depth of about 8 km (5 miles). Rescue efforts are intensifying in Kunar province, where entire villages were flattened, leaving thousands trapped under the rubble of fragile mud-brick and wooden homes.

UN Resident Coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, urged the international community to act swiftly, stressing that Afghans are facing multiple crises and their resilience is exhausted. He warned that aid efforts are a race against time involving life-and-death decisions.

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Rising Death Toll And Race Against Time

The death toll from the eastern Afghanistan earthquake has risen to over 1,400, with more than 3,000 injured. Rescuers are in a “race against time” to reach remote, devastated areas, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed. The European Union says it is sending 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and providing 1 million euros (USD 1.16 million) to help victims of the deadly quake.

The EU has become one of the key aid donors to Afghanistan after the United States, previously the country’s largest aid provider, cut all but a fraction of its assistance after President Donald Trump took office in January. The aid cuts risk impeding the response to the earthquake, experts warned, in a country already facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises after decades of conflict.

Health And Safety Concerns

Rescue teams and authorities are working to dispose of animal carcasses quickly to minimise the risk of contamination to water sources, a U.N. official said on Monday. The World Health Organisation added that damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks, and the remote location of many villages severely impede the delivery of aid. More than 12,000 people have been affected by the disaster.

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The epicentre of Tuesday’s tremor was close to where Sunday’s magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck late at night, devastating mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan. “These aftershocks are constant, but they have not caused any casualties yet,” said Ehsanullah Ehsan, the disaster management spokesman in Kunar.