Rescuers losing hope after quake

HARD TO REACH: MANY STILL TRAPPED UNDER RUBBLE

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Hope was quickly fading of finding survivors in the rubble of homes devastated by the weekend's powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as emergency services struggled to reach remote villages yesterday.

A shallow magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan late on Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes on families as they slept.

Fearful of the near-constant aftershocks rattling the area, people huddled in the open air while rescuers struggled to unearth those trapped under the heaps of flattened buildings.