Afghanistan earthquake kills eight members of same family
Al Jazeera • • world
Key Points:
- An earthquake measuring 5.8 magnitude struck northeastern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, causing the collapse of a home in Kabul province's Gosfand Dara area and killing eight family members; a two-year-old child survived with injuries.
- The quake occurred at a depth of 186 km on Friday night, with strong tremors felt as far as Kabul, New Delhi, and parts of Pakistan, though no immediate damage or injuries were reported near the epicenter.
- Afghanistan, located along the seismically active Hindu Kush mountain range, experiences frequent earthquakes, with an average of 560 fatalities annually due to poorly constructed homes in remote regions.
- The country faces challenges in disaster response, especially in isolated areas, as demonstrated by the delayed reporting of damage and casualties following this event.
- The deadliest recent earthquake in Afghanistan was a magnitude 6 tremor last August that killed over 2,200 people, mainly in Kunar province, highlighting ongoing vulnerability to seismic disasters.
