An strong earthquake in Afghanistan and a powerful landslide in Sudan
JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — The number of lives lost from a major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan passed 1,400 on Tuesday, with more than 3,000 people injured, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban government spokesman, said on social platform X.
Rescuers are scrambling in a “race against time” to reach the mountainous and remote area devastated by Sunday's powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake, a U.N. official said, warning of an exponential rise in the number of casualties.
The quake struck in several provinces, causing extensive damage. It flattened villages and trapped people under the rubble of homes that were constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood and were unable to withstand the shock. Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief efforts.
“We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities has been saturated,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the U.N.'s resident coordinator for Afghanistan.
He urged the international community to step forward. “These are life and death decisions while we race against time to reach people.”
CAIRO (AP) — A landslide wiped out an entire village in Sudan ’s western region of Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the African country’s recent history, a rebel group controlling the area said late Monday.
The village was “completely leveled to the ground,” the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said as it appealed to the U.N. and international aid groups for help to recover the bodies.
The tragedy happened Sunday in the village of Tarasin in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains after days of heavy rainfall.
“Initial information indicates the death of all village residents, estimated to be more than 1,000 people, “ the rebel group said in a statement. ”Only one person survived,” it added.
Abdel-Wahid Nour, the group’s leader, made an appeal on Tuesday for international help. “The scale and magnitude of the disaster are immense and defy description,” he said.
The ruling Sovereign Council in Khartoum said it mourned “the death of hundreds of innocent residents” in the Marrah Mountains' landslide. In a statement, it said “all possible capabilities” have been mobilized to support the area.