According to Afghan officials, their authorities struggled to reach out to remote areas hit by an earthquake on Wednesday that killed More than 1,000 people but poor communications and a lack of proper roads hampered their efforts.
Mohammad Ismail Muawiyah, a spokesman for the top Taliban military commander in the hardest-hit Paktika province, told Reuters that “We can’t reach the area, the networks are too weak, we trying to get updates.
According to Media Reports the magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck early on Wednesday about 160 km, (100 miles) southeast of Kabul, in arid mountains dotted with small settlements near the border with Pakistan.
The earthquake killed some 1,000 people and injured 1,500 injured while more than 3,000 houses were destroyed, media reported.
According to U.S. government data, the toll makes Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in two decades.
About 600 people had been rescued from various affected areas on Wednesday night, disaster management officials said.
According to Reuters the, rescue operation will be a major test for the Taliban authorities, who took over the country last August after two decades of war and have been cut off from much international assistance because of sanctions.
The United Nations said its World Food Programme (WFP) was sending food and logistics equipment to affected areas, with the aim of initially supporting 3,000 households.
Japan and South Korea both said they also plan to send aid.
