Quake Kills 800 in Afghanistan; Taliban Calls for International Aid

Disaster Will Stretch Resources of Nation Already Hit With Humanitarian Crises

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KABUL - One of Afghanistan's worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, the authorities said on Sept. 1, as helicopters ferried the wounded to hospital after they were plucked from the rubble of homes being combed for survivors.

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation that is already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge push-back of its citizens from neighboring countries.

Mr. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Health Ministry in Kabul, called for international aid to tackle the devastation from the 6-magnitude quake that struck at around midnight, at a depth of 10km.

"We need it because here, lots of people lost their lives and houses," he told Reuters.

Administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the quake killed 812 people in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar.

Mr. Ziaul Haq Mohammadi, a student at Al-Falah University in the eastern city of Jalalabad, was studying in his room at home when the quake struck. He said he tried to stand up but fell over due to the power of the tremor.

"We spent the whole night in fear and anxiety because at any moment, another earthquake could happen," he said.