Afghan quake: Rescue workers search for survivors

At least 26 people have been killed and hundreds of houses damaged after a magnitude 5.3 quake jolted Badghis province.

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after an earthquake in a remote western region of Afghanistan killed at least 26 people and damaged hundreds of houses, officials said.

Monday’s magnitude 5.3 shallow quake jolted the province of Badghis and wrecked hundreds of homes, mostly in the rural Qadis district, which is not easily accessible by road.

“The earthquake caused massive damage to houses, about 700 to 1,000 have been damaged,” Badghis provincial spokesman Baz Mohammad Sarwary said in a video message.

“There is the possibility that the casualties could increase.”

Images circulating on social media showed residents, including children, searching through the rubble of collapsed homes for belongings and essential items.

Taliban government spokesman Inamullah Samangani said rescue workers were helping find survivors and transferring the wounded to local hospitals.

A Taliban team was in the area assisting in the relief work.

Some of the victims, including women and children, died when the roofs of their houses collapsed, officials said.

The quake also inflicted damage on the residents of Muqr district but details, including casualties, are still unavailable.

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