GENEVA, September 3. /TASS/. About 5,400 houses have been destroyed in an earthquake that rocked the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
"Search and rescue efforts are ongoing with the de facto authorities (DfA) now reporting just over 1,400 people killed, a further 3,100 injured and up to 5,400 homes destroyed," it said in a statement.
According to the agency, the "impact of the earthquake has been exacerbated by inadequate or weakly constructed houses made of dry masonry, stone and timber which lack seismic resistance elements, along with heavy rainfall in the preceding days which loosened ground."
It noted that emergency shelter and non-food items, critical medical supplies, drinking water, emergency food assistance and emergency sanitation facilities remain "urgent priorities."
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan on August 31. The epicenter was located 27 kilometers southwest of the city of Asadabad in the country’s east. Powerful tremors destroyed entire villages, while landslides blocked roads to some settlements and disrupted communication lines. Rescue operations are being carried out in remote mountainous areas. According to the latest data from Afghanistan’s authorities, the quake death toll has climbed to 1,411, with 3,124 people injured. Another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 rocked the Hindu Kush Mountains on September 2.