Earthquake Death Toll In Afghanistan Increases To 1,411 People And 3,124 Injured

JAKARTA - The death toll from the worst earthquake in Afghanistan in recent years jumped to more than 1,400 on Tuesday, while thousands more were injured, authorities said, as terrain that has difficulty hindering rescue efforts in remote villages in the country's eastern mountainous region.

At least 1,411 people were killed, 3,124 injured, and more than 5,400 houses were destroyed, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Red Crescent Society said more people were feared to be trapped under the rubble. An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale rocked Afghanistan at midnight Monday. The epicenter was at a shallow depth of 10 km, with Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in the eastern part being the worst affected.

Rescue operations have been carried out in four villages severely affected in Kunar on Monday and rescue efforts will now be focused on reaching more remote mountainous areas, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, head of the provincial disaster management agency.

"We cannot accurately predict how many bodies may still be trapped under the rubble," explained Ehsan.

"Our effort is to complete this operation as soon as possible and start distributing aid to affected families," he added.

The mountainous field and bad weather prevented rescue teams from reaching remote areas along Pakistan's borders, where the quake razed hundreds of mud-story houses and bricks.

Access to vehicles along narrow mountain roads is a major obstacle, Ehsan said, adding heavy equipment was being brought in to clear roads from the rubble.

Meanwhile, the UN Coordinator in Afghanistan said the number of victims was likely to increase.

Thousands of children are in danger, United Nations Children's Funds warned on Tuesday.

UNICEF said it delivered medicines, warm clothes, tents and tarpaulins for shelter, as well as cleaning equipment such as soap, detergents, towels, sanitary napkins and water buckets.

"The damaged roads, aftershocks that continue, and remote locations in many villages severely hinder the distribution of aid," the World Health Organization (WHO) said, adding that more than 12.000 people were affected by the earthquake.

"The collapse of the health system before the earthquake overwhelmed local capacity, creating total dependence on external parties," he added.

Rescue and relief efforts have been hampered due to limited resources in this country, which is hit by war and poor with a population of 42 million people and limited post-traged global aid.

Taliban troops were deployed in the area, providing assistance and security. This disaster is increasingly burdening the Taliban government which has grappled with a sharp decline in foreign aid and the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by neighboring countries.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountains, where tectonic plates of India and Eurasia meet.