Afghanistan is struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,000 people

It is anticipated that the number of fatalities will rise.

 

At least one thousand people were killed, and hundreds more were injured after a strong earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning (June 22). However, the number of fatalities and injuries is expected to climb in the coming days. According to Reuters, state-level officials in charge of disaster management stated that at least 600 people were hurt, but local officials estimated that the number was closer to 1,500.

 

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre first indicated that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.1, but the agency has since revealed that the earthquake's magnitude was slightly lower, at 5.9. The most recent estimate is consistent with the one provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

 

According to the USGS, the epicenter of the earthquake was located approximately 29.1 miles (46.8 kilometers) to the southwest of the city of Khost, which is located close to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The India plate is moving northward at a rate of around 1.6 inches (40 millimeters) each year, which causes it to collide with the Eurasia plate that is close to it, causing earthquakes in this region. The India plate moves northward at this rate.

 

The two tectonic plates are currently sliding against each other at an angle southwest of the Himalayas. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the pattern of seismic waves generated by the earthquake on Wednesday indicated that the event primarily involved "strike-slip faulting." In this type of faulting, vertical fractures appear at locations where the tectonic plates have rubbed against each other horizontally. The earthquake took place at a depth of 6.2 miles, which is considered to be relatively shallow (10 km).

 

According to an expert on the management of water resources in Afghanistan named Najibullah Sadid, who CNN interviewed, "the timing of the earthquake [in the] dark of night... and the shallow depth of 10 kilometers from its epicenter resulted in more casualties." According to CNN, newly released photographs from the province of Paktika showed the shattered remnants of homes stacked up around a few walls that had survived the attack, along with broken roof beams sprinkled throughout the region.

 

According to an official with the country's interior ministry named Salahuddin Ayubi, who spoke with Reuters, "the death toll is expected to grow as some of the villages are in isolated places in the mountains and it would take some time to collect details."

Article surce : https://www.livescience.com/earthquake-eastern-afghanistan-june-2022

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