Afghans begin clean-up after earthquake that killed at least 27

TANGI TASHQURGHAN, Afghanistan: Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday (Nov 4) after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 27 dead and almost 1,000 injured.

The quake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 27 people and damaging the city’s historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, though the sparsely populated epicentre meant the death toll was lower than initially feared.

Some 956 people have been injured, according to the latest figures from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health.

Hundreds of houses were either completely or partially destroyed, according to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, a figure that aid groups said was concerning just ahead of the Afghan winter, where temperatures drop below freezing.

BUILDINGS AT RISK OF COLLAPSE

On Tuesday, residents in Tangi Tashqurgan, an area close to the quake epicentre, were digging out rubble and reinforcing affected buildings.

Mohammad Yasin, a local shopkeeper, said dozens of structures had been damaged or destroyed in the quake.

“If you go inside the shops, you feel afraid they might collapse any moment, maybe now or in 10 minutes,” he said.