Environment

Two quakes rock east Afghanistan:22 dead

by Amitjha | April 16, 2009 at 10:58 pm

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There seems to be something terribly wrong with the Afghanistan.It is facing multiple threat, one from the political side, other from the side of economy, and nature is not showing any mercy on them.

Today an earthquake of moderate intensity, 5.5 killed at least 19 people in the eastern province.It is not the intensity of the earthquake but the poverty and and bad infrastructure that killed lives in Afghanistan.

Two moderate earthquakes have hit eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 19 people and destroying dozens of homes, officials say.

The US Geological Survey says a 5.5-magnitude quake struck at 0157 local time (2127 GMT), followed by a 5.1-magnitude aftershock two hours later.

The quakes struck in Nangarhar province, about 50 miles (80km) east of Kabul near the Pakistan border.

At least two villages were reported to have suffered serious damage.

The interior ministry in Kabul and provincial officials put the death toll at 19, while local police said at least 20 had been injured.

"The police started work this morning. All the 19 dead bodies were picked up by police," ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashari told the AFP news agency.

"The work is going on and the rubble is being removed to try to find more dead bodies or injured people."

Villagers told reporters that the death toll was higher.