Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have announced the end of search-and-rescue operations following the June 22 earthquake that struck the country's east, bringing the death toll from country's worst natural disaster in two decades to 1,150.
Aftershock in Afghanistan As Quake Death Toll Rises To 1,150
- By RFE/RL
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Afghan men search for survivors amid the rubble of a house destroyed by the earthquake, on June 23 in Paktika Province's Gayan district.
The Taliban declared the search for survivors to be over on June 24. The disaster poses a challenge for the Taliban-led government, which is largely isolated as a result of its hard-line Islamist policies toward women and girls. The country had already been battling a severe humanitarian crisis after crucial foreign aid was halted following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
The Taliban declared the search for survivors to be over on June 24. The disaster poses a challenge for the Taliban-led government, which is largely isolated as a result of its hard-line Islamist policies toward women and girls. The country had already been battling a severe humanitarian crisis after crucial foreign aid was halted following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
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An armed Taliban fighter guards a helicopter used to disperse aid and pick up injured survivors.
The disaster is a major litmus test for the hard-line Islamists, who have been largely isolated and shunned by the international community over human rights concerns.
The disaster is a major litmus test for the hard-line Islamists, who have been largely isolated and shunned by the international community over human rights concerns.
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An injured Afghan woman waits for treatment. Taliban officials have stated that the country lacks medical supplies to treat the injured and they have requested humanitarian assistance from the international community.
The 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck about 160 kilometers southeast of Kabul, near the Pakistani border, in an arid mountain region dotted with small settlements that has been frequently contested during decades of war in Afghanistan. The Paktika and Khost provinces were worst hit.
The 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck about 160 kilometers southeast of Kabul, near the Pakistani border, in an arid mountain region dotted with small settlements that has been frequently contested during decades of war in Afghanistan. The Paktika and Khost provinces were worst hit.
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An Afghan man walks past a house in Gayan that was damaged in the earthquake.
