New Delhi (Reuters) – Powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan have killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 9,000, the Taliban administration said on Sunday, in the deadliest tremors in years in the quake-prone country.
Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Death tolls often rise when remote locations are hit, and decades of war have left infrastructure in a shambles, making relief and rescue operations difficult.
Here is a list of Afghan quakes over the past three decades:
Badakhshan, 2023
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the sparsely populated northeastern province of Badakhshan, 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Jurm village, killing at least 13 people in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.
Kunar, September 2022
As Afghanistan was recovering from strong earthquakes three months earlier, tremors hit Kunar province in September, killing eight.
Paktika, June 2022
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed 1,036 people in the eastern province of Paktika, causing widespread damage and forcing Afghanistan to appeal for international aid.
Hindu Kush, 2015
A quake of magnitude 7.5, one of the largest in Afghanistan’s recorded history, killed 399 people in Afghanistan and neighbours Pakistan and India.
Hindu Kush, 2002
Twin earthquakes in the Hindu Kush in March 2002 killed a total of 1,100.
Hindu Kush, 1991
An earthquake in the Hindu Kush killed 848 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Soviet Union.
Qayen, 1997
A magnitude 7.2 quake on the border of Afghanistan and Iran killed more than 1,500 in both countries and destroyed more than 10,000 homes.
Takhar, February-May 1998
An earthquake in the remote northeastern province of Takhar killed at least 2,300 people, with some estimates ranging as high as 4,000. Three months later, a quake of magnitude 6.6 in the same region killed 4,700.
