BBCcom_Content_Index_for_February_17_2023.txt

Afghanistan: Third quake strikes Afghanistan as deaths rise

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Afghanistan's remote south-eastern region on gaiola bingoThursday night, the third quake in six days, as the death toll from the first continued to rise.

The shallow quake hit at 20:56 local time (15:36 GMT) and sent people in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces scampering out of shelters in fear.

There was no immediate official report of casualties from Thursday night's earthquake, but medics on the ground told the BBC that 17 wounded people were brought to Kunar Provincial Hospital.

Sunday's quake has killed 1,368 people and wounded 2,180 others, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) said, citing reports from 25 villages.

The region's rough and mountainous terrain continues to hamper rescue and disaster relief operations, the government said.

A second earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday temporarily halted rescue operations, which have mostly been conducted by helicopters as debris from landslides cuts off access to remote villages.

There have also been a steady stream of aftershocks.

"Rescue and search efforts are still ongoing, tents have been set up for people in various areas, and the delivery of first aid and emergency supplies is ongoing," Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, said on X.

The Taliban government - which is only recognised by Russia - has appealed for international help. The UN has released emergency funds, while the UK has pledged ￡1m ($1.3m) in aid.

Afghanistan is very prone to earthquakes because of its location on top of a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

In 2023, more than 1,400 people died after a series of 6.3-magnitude earthquakes hit western Afghanistan, near the city of Herat.

The year before that, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring another 3,000.

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