JAKARTA - A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sparking fears of further damage and destruction nearly two days after a 6.0-magnitude quake killed more than 1,400 people and injured thousands more in the same region.
Reuters reported that the quake on Tuesday, September 2, struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), the same as the quake that struck late Sunday.
The quake was one of the worst in Afghanistan in recent years, flattening homes in remote villages.
The extent of the damage from the new quake is not yet known.
The difficult terrain has severely hampered rescue efforts in remote villages in the mountainous region.
The death toll has reached 1,411, with 3,124 injured and more than 5,400 homes destroyed, said Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
More people are feared trapped under the rubble, said the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region. The UN coordinator in Afghanistan said the death toll is certain to rise.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountains, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
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