Pakistan offers support to Kabul after earthquake hit Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday condoled the loss of lives and property after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan and was also felt in parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad.

“Deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which shook Kabul and was also felt in various parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad,” the prime minister wrote on X from China, where he is attending the 25th SCO Heads of State Council meeting.

He expressed solidarity with the Afghan people, extended condolences to the bereaved families, and offered Pakistan’s full support in relief efforts.

President Asif Ali Zardari also conveyed his condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, praying for the swift recovery of the injured and courage for the affected families. He said Pakistan stood firmly with Afghanistan in this hour of grief.

About 622 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, authorities said on Monday, as helicopters ferried the wounded to safety from rubble being combed in the hunt for survivors.

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighbouring countries.

The quake of magnitude 6 injured more than 1,500, the Taliban-run Afghan interior ministry said in a statement that put the death toll at 622. Earlier state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) put the toll at about 500.

In Kabul, the capital, health authorities said rescuers were racing to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.

“Figures from just a few clinics show over 400 injured and dozens of fatalities,” ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said in a statement that warned of higher casualties.