Powerful quake aftershocks cause more injuries in Afghanistan

A series of strong aftershocks from a deadly earthquake that hit eastern Afghanistan at the weekend injured at least another 10 people and caused further damage, Taliban authorities said on Friday.

Five shallow aftershocks, the strongest measuring at magnitude 5.6, were recorded by the US Geological Survey on Thursday night and Friday morning, with some rattling Kabul and the Pakistan capital, Islamabad.

National disaster authority spokesman Mohammad Hammad told AFP 10 people were injured across eight provinces jolted by the aftershocks, including the hardest hit Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman, adding to the more than 3,700 already injured in the initial quake.

More than 2,200 people were killed after the magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan just before midnight on Sunday, making it the deadliest quake to hit the country in decades.

In Nuristan province, north of Kunar, resident Enamullah Safi said he and others ran out of their homes when the aftershocks hit overnight.

"Everyone was afraid. We are still afraid and have not returned to our homes," the 25-year-old cook told AFP, saying he huddled under a blanket with several other people to keep warm in the cold, mountain night.

Some houses were damaged or destroyed he said, adding that they have received little assistance, as aid is concentrated in the worst-hit zones.

Access has been stymied by already poor roads blocked by landslides and rockfall that continued as the area was convulsed by aftershocks.

The disaster comes as Afghanistan is already facing multiple crises after decades of conflict, contending with endemic poverty, severe drought and the influx of millions of Afghans forced back to the country by neighbours Pakistan and Iran since the Taliban's 2021 takeover.

Russia sends humanitarian aid

Russia said Friday it had sent a cargo plane of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan following last weekend's powerful quake that authorities say killed at least 2,200 people.

The disaster has deepened an already severe humanitarian crisis, with some countries, including the United States, reluctant to provide aid to the country under the Taliban.

Moscow earlier this year became the first country to officially recognise the Taliban government following their 2021 takeover.

Russia's emergency situations ministry said it had delivered 20 tonnes of food to Kabul for people affected by the quake.

"On the instructions of the president of the Russian Federation, a second batch of humanitarian aid is planned to be sent in the near future," it added in a statement on social media.

The World Health Organization warned that local healthcare services were "under immense strain", with shortages of trauma supplies, medicines and staff.

Filippo Grandi, head of the United Nations refugee agency, said the quake had "affected more than 500,000 people" in eastern Afghanistan.

The loss of US foreign aid to the country in January this year has strained aid organisations already facing dwindling funding to Afghanistan.