Earthquake damages several houses in Badakhshan

FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): A moderate earthquake jolted parts of Afghanistan on Sunday night, destroying a number of houses in northeastern Badakhshan province, an official said on Monday.

Measuring 5.9 on the open-ended Richter scale, the quake, which struck at around 10:45pm, was felt in the capital Kabul and some eastern provinces of the country.

The epicenter of the quake lay in the Khalkhan village of Badakhshan’s Zibak district. The governor’s spokesman, Ahmad Navid Frotan, told Pajhwok Afghan News the quake had damaged a number of houses.

He said damage to houses was reported from Zibak, Ishkashim, Wakhan, Shaghnan and Kasham districts. But he was unaware of casualties, saying more details would be released later on.

Natural Disaster Management Authority Director Syed Abdullah Humayoon Dehqan said a survey team comprising Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Focus Humanitarian Assistanceexperts had been sent to the affected areas.

He said the team would survey the houses destroyed and other losses inflicted on people. On October 26, a strong earthquake rattled parts of Afghanistan, killing 115 people and wounding 500 others.

mds/mud