Rescuers are searching for survivors after a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan | Stories

At least 26 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook the region of Badghis.

Rescue workers are searching for survivors of an earthquake in the far west of Afghanistan that killed at least 26 people and destroyed hundreds of homes, government officials said.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook the region of Badghis and destroyed hundreds of homes, especially in the remote Qadis region, which is not easily accessible by road.

“The quake severely damaged homes, with about 700 to 1,000 damage,” Badghis state spokesman Baz Mohammad Sarwary said in a video message.

“There is a possibility of casualties.”

Television footage showed residents, including children, searching for items and necessities in collapsed homes.

Taliban government spokesman Inamullah Samangani said rescue workers were helping to evacuate the survivors and transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.

The Taliban were in the area to assist in the relief effort.

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

The quake also devastated Muqr residents but many, including injured, were not found.

Epicenter

The quake was near Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis, less than 100km (62 miles) from the Turkmen border, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Afghanistan is already embroiled in a humanitarian crisis, worsening as Western nations cool off with foreign aid and economic recovery after the Taliban invasion in August.

The United Nations says it needs $ 5bn by 2022 to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and to rehabilitate a country that has been devastated in the future after 40 years of war and occupation.

Severe drought has exacerbated the problem, with Qadis earthquakes being one of the worst-affected areas.

Afghanistan is frequently affected by earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountains, located near the intersection of Eurasian mountains and Indian tectonic plates.

Even weak earthquakes can wreak havoc on poorly constructed homes and homes in a developing country.

In 2015, about 280 people were killed when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake shook South Asia, with many more dead in Pakistan.

In the crash, 12 Afghan girls were crushed to death by an eagle as they tried to flee their collapsed school building.