KABUL — A huge earthquake ripped through eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing hundreds of people and setting off a mammoth rescue operation along a mountainous stretch of provinces where communities already face hunger and economic crises.

At least 800 people were killed after the 6.0-magnitude quake hit towns and villages close to the Pakistan border, Afghan authorities reported. More than 2,000 people were injured, according to the Afghan Press Club, citing a government spokesperson. The death toll is expected to rise.

Three villages were razed in Kunar province alone, Reuters reported, citing local authorities.

The quake hit just before midnight, 27 kilometers (16.77 miles) north-east of Jalalabad, a city of about 200,000 people in Nangarhar Province, and at a comparatively shallow depth of 8km (4.97 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Military rescue teams deployed 40 flights carrying 420 wounded and dead people over the eastern Afghan provinces near Pakistan, Reuters reported.

Photos from the aftermath showed rows of brick houses swept under muddy debris, as residents clambered over huge piles of fallen concrete. Relief teams struggled to access quake-stricken areas buried by landslides and destroyed roads, state news media reported.

Eyewitness recalled fumbling for loved ones stuck under collapsed homes, as they waited hours for emergency workers to reach the worst-affected regions, according to the Associated Press.

“I was half-buried and unable to get out,” Sadiqullah, a resident of Nurgal, in the Kunar province, told AP. His wife and two sons had been killed, he added.

Nearly half a million people likely felt strong to very strong shaking, which can result in considerable damage to poorly built structures, according to the USGS.

Ahmad Zameer, 41, a resident in Kabul, told CNN the earthquake was strong and jolted his neighborhood more than 100 miles from the epicenter. He added that everyone from the nearby apartment buildings rushed to the street in fear of being trapped inside.

“Unfortunately, tonight’s earthquake has had human casualties and financial damages in some of our eastern provinces,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X.

“Right now, local officials and residents are making all the efforts to rescue affected ones. Support teams from the capital and nearby provinces are also on their way. All available resources will be used for the rescue and relief of the people,” he added.

The earthquake was also felt in several cities in neighboring Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said in a statement.

The region was hit by at least five aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.2-magnitude in the hours after the initial quake, according to USGS.

The United Nations in Afghanistan said it was “deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the eastern region and claimed hundreds of lives,” adding that its teams are delivering emergency assistance on the ground.

The war-ravaged nation is in the throes of a humanitarian crisis that has only worsened after the Taliban seized power in 2021 following a chaotic United States withdrawal, which saw many international aid groups pull out of the country.

Earlier this year, the White House halted more than $1.7 billion worth of American aid contracts supporting dozens of programs in Afghanistan, further exacerbating food and medical shortages among the Afghan people. The United Kingdom, France and Germany swiftly followed suit.

That aid deficit has crunched response and recovery to natural disasters in Afghanistan – a country that often experiences seismic activity.

Following the earthquake on Sunday, one senior rights official warned the humanitarian needs will far outweigh those of the powerful 6.3 magnitude 2023 quake, when more than 2,000 people were killed.

“We are profoundly fearful for the additional strain that this disaster will have on the overall humanitarian response in Afghanistan,” Sherine Ibrahim, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) country director for Afghanistan, said in a statement.

“Global funding cuts have dramatically hampered our ability to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,” added Ibrahim. “It is high time that the international community recognises the immense need in the country and steps up support for Afghans who are in critical need.”

Moreover, the logistical challenges of trying to reach remote and rural neighborhoods and villages that were destroyed by recent floods would further hamper efforts, Afghan officials and rights advocates warned. - CNN