Rescue workers on Monday scrambled to reach mountainous areas in eastern Afghanistan hit by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 800 people overnight, Afghan officials said, warning that the death toll would probably rise.
Recovery efforts were complicated by landslides that stranded devastated villages already barely accessible by road. And so far, only a handful of countries have offered relief assistance to the Taliban government.
Most of the destruction from the earthquake, which struck just before midnight Sunday, took place in the province of Kunar, where dozens of villages of mud and brick houses were hit.
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“The area is very steep and narrow and most of it is inaccessible because of landslides and rains that fell over the past few days,” said Kate Carey, a Kabul-based officer with the United Nations’ Office for humanitarian affairs.
Shake intensity
Light
Strong
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Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.Source: U.S.G.S. All times on the map are Afghanistan time.By William B. Davis and John Keefe
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