Fresh quake hits Afghanistan as death toll passes 1,400

Epicentre near where earlier quake struck; funding squeeze risks impeding relief effort

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan – A fresh 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit the east of Afghanistan on Sept 2, jolting a region still struggling with the aftermath of a powerful quake at the weekend that killed 1,400 people.

The epicentre of the tremor was close to where a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit late on Aug 31, devastating remote areas in mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan.

The "quake was felt in the same areas which were affected in Kunar (province) in the first earthquake", Mr Ehsanullah Ehsan, the disaster management spokesman in the hard-hit province, told AFP.

"These aftershocks are constant, but they have not caused any casualties yet."

The quake was reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS) late on Sept 2.

The number of victims from Aug 31's earthquake has mounted steadily, with 1,411 people dead and 3,124 injured in Kunar alone, chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sept 2.

Another dozen people were killed and hundreds injured in neighbouring Nangarhar province.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with dwindling aid since the Taliban seized power in 2021, undermining its ability to respond to disasters.

The devastation could affect "hundreds of thousands", said UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan Indrika Ratwatte.