More than 1,100 dead in Afghanistan earthquake with many more trapped under rubble and

More than 1,100 people have been killed in Afghanistan‘s deadliest earthquake in years, with thousands more injured and many still buried under collapsed homes as rescuers battle to reach remote mountain villages. 

The Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Tuesday that at least 1,124 people are confirmed dead and 3,251 have been hurt, with more than 8,000 homes destroyed. 

The aid group warned that the death toll will rise as teams pull bodies from the rubble.

‘We cannot accurately predict how many bodies might still be trapped under the rubble,’ said Ehsanullah Ehsan, the provincial head of disaster management. 

‘Our effort is to complete these operations as soon as possible and to begin distributing aid to the affected families.’

Meanwhile, the UN said on Tuesday that the disaster could impact ‘hundreds of thousands’. Indrika Ratwatte, its human coordinator in the country, said: ‘We think potentially the impacted individuals would go up to almost into the hundreds of thousands.

She added: ‘The numbers are definitely going to increase and said: ‘There’s no question that the casualty rate is going to be rather exponential.’

The 6.0-magnitude quake struck just after midnight on Monday at a depth of only six miles, shaking the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, which were hit hardest.

More than 1,100 people have been killed in Afghanistan ‘s deadliest earthquake in years, with thousands more injured and many still buried under collapsed homes

The Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Tuesday that at least 1,124 people are confirmed dead and 3,251 have been hurt, with more than 8,000 homes destroyed

Aid groups have warned that the death toll will rise as teams pull bodies from the rubble

Rescuers are working to save several people who are suspected to be trapped in the rubble 

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6, struck around midnight local time on Monday, at a shallow depth of 6 miles

Narrow mountain roads and landslides have slowed rescuers, while bad weather has made conditions worse. 

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

Heavy machinery is being sent to clear debris so vehicles can pass. 

On Tuesday, a line of ambulances was on the damaged mountain road trying to reach Kunar villages, as helicopters flew in, bringing aid supplies and taking the injured to hospitals, according to a Reuters witness.

Some of the worst cases were flown to Kabul and Nangarhar, officials confirmed.

The United Nations warned that thousands of children are at risk. UNICEF said it was rushing medicine, tents, tarpaulins, warm clothes, and hygiene supplies, including soap, detergent, sanitary pads, towels, and water buckets, to the disaster zone.

Taliban fighters have been deployed to secure the area and assist with relief efforts, as the disaster piles more pressure on a government already crippled by sanctions, shrinking foreign aid, and the mass deportation of Afghans from neighbouring countries. 

The World Health Organisation said over 12,000 people have been affected, warning: ‘Damaged roads, ongoing aftershocks, and remote locations of many villages severely impede the delivery of aid. 

The World Health Organisation said over 12,000 people have been affected

Four villages in Kunar have been devastated, and the focus is now on reaching even more isolated areas

The United Nations warned that thousands of children are at risk

The rescue and relief work has struggled in the face of tight resources in the war-torn, impoverished nation of 42 million people

‘The pre-earthquake fragility of the health system means local capacity is overwhelmed, creating total dependence on external actors.’ 

The rescue and relief work has struggled in the face of tight resources in the war-torn, impoverished nation of 42 million people and limited global help in the aftermath of the tragedy.

So far, Britain has allocated £1million to support the efforts of the U.N. and the International Red Cross in delivering critical healthcare and emergency supplies.

India delivered 1,000 tents and was moving 15 tonnes of food supplies to Kunar, with more relief materials to be sent on Tuesday.

Other nations such as China, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, Pakistan and Iran have pledged help, but aid is yet to arrive.

Afghanistan has been badly hit by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision in January to cut funding to its humanitarian arm, USAID, and reductions in other foreign aid programmes.

Crises elsewhere in the world, along with donor frustration over the Taliban’s policies toward women and curbs on aid workers, have been a factor in funding cuts, according to diplomats and aid officials.