4.3 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan's Fayzabad

Within two days, another earthquake hit parts of Afghanistan with a magnitude of 4.3 on Thursday morning, reported National Center for Seismology.

The National Centre for Seismology said that the earthquake occurred at 07:18:59 IST with a depth of 163 kilometres, 76Km kilometres south-southwest of Fayzabad of Afghanistan.

"Earthquake of Magnitude:4.3, Occurred on 23-06-2022, 07:18:59 IST, Lat: 36.47 & Long: 70.90, Depth: 163 Km, Location: 76km SSE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan," informed NSC.

Earlier, on Wednesday, an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan and the death toll has surpassed 1,000, with more than 1,500 people injured, news reports said. The most affected areas are in Spera District in Khost Province, and Barmala, Ziruk, Naka and Gayan districts in Paktika Province.

More than 1,000 people were killed in Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake hit the country. "We have over 1,000 dead and over 1,500 wounded. Many villages were destroyed," Amin Huzaifa, the head of the culture and information department of the Paktika province, told Sputnik.

Afghanistan's TOLOnews reported that the earthquake occurred around 1:30 AM last night. He said that many of the victims are from the Giyan district of the province.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that an emergency cabinet meeting was held on Wednesday, to discuss assistance for the people affected by the earthquake. "In addition to helping the people affected by the earthquake, all relevant organizations were tasked to send rescue teams," he said.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicentre was 44 kilometres from Khost city, and it measured 6.1 on the Richter scale.

The disaster comes as Afghanistan continues to struggle with a severe economic crisis since the Taliban took over, as US-led international forces withdrew following two decades of war.

Over this incident, India expressed condolences to the victims and their families impacted by the tragic earthquake in Afghanistan.

India said it remains committed to providing assistance and support in this hour of need.

"India expresses sympathy and condolences to the victims and their families, and to all those impacted by the tragic earthquake in Afghanistan. We share the grief of the people of Afghanistan and remain committed to providing assistance and support in this hour of need," said External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

The US also expressed grief over this incident. In a statement, the White House on Wednesday (local time) quoted a statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and said, "The United States is deeply saddened to see the devastating earthquake that took the lives of at least 1,000 people in Afghanistan."