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Over 800 Dead As Earthquake Devastates Eastern Afghanistan

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A devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, leaving more than 800 people dead and thousands injured, according to Taliban officials.

The tremor, followed by several powerful aftershocks, leveled homes and triggered widespread panic across the region.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake struck at a shallow depth of just eight kilometres, with the epicentre located 27 kilometres from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province.

The shaking was felt as far away as Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, with an estimated 1.2 million people experiencing strong to very strong tremors.

READ ALSO: Panic In Istanbul As 6.2-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Marmara Sea

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that around 800 fatalities and 2,500 injuries occurred in Kunar province alone, while neighbouring Nangarhar recorded 12 deaths and 255 injured.

“Numerous houses were destroyed,” Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told AFP.

Rescue operations are proving difficult in remote areas, where mud-brick homes collapsed easily and blocked roads have left some villages inaccessible. The UN’s migration agency warned that several severely hit communities remain cut off.

“There is a lot of fear and tension… Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives,” said Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, a local agricultural department worker in Kunar’s Nurgal district.

The Taliban authorities, with support from the United Nations, have deployed emergency teams and air support. Afghanistan’s defence ministry said 40 helicopter sorties had been carried out to deliver aid and evacuate victims.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed solidarity, saying: “I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today.”

Aftershocks and Added Misery

At least five aftershocks rattled the region through the night, the strongest measuring magnitude 5.2. To compound the crisis, Nangarhar province had only just suffered severe flooding days earlier, which killed five people and destroyed crops.

Earthquakes are a recurring disaster in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range.

In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude tremor struck Herat province, killing over 1,500 people, while in June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude quake in Paktika claimed more than 1,000 lives.

Decades of conflict, limited infrastructure, and reduced international aid since the Taliban’s return to power have left Afghanistan ill-equipped to respond to such calamities.

Many of those affected in Kunar and Nangarhar are returnees recently deported from Iran and Pakistan, forced to rebuild fragile homes in quake-prone areas.

“They wanted to build their homes here,” Yaad noted, highlighting the plight of families now left homeless once again.

 

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DOJ Confirms Federal Criminal Investigation After Agents Raid Ilhan Omar’s Home

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Federal agents raided the Washington, D.C., home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar early Monday morning as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed.

Homeland Security Investigations agents arrived at the Minnesota congresswoman’s residence at about 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, according to a report by Fox News.

SEE MORE: Trump Sparks Outrage With Shock Proposal to Rename New Mexico

The report said both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the DOJ are involved in the investigation.

A DOJ spokesperson confirmed the operation, stating: “Today in the Washington, D.C. area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice.”

The spokesperson added: “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”

 

 

Details later……….

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Bangkok Underwater: Nearly 4,900 Evacuated as Floods Hit Thailand Capital

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Heavy rains have triggered severe flooding across parts of Bangkok, Thailand, forcing nearly 4,900 residents to evacuate to shelters as floodwaters swept through roads and residential areas.

The flooding has disrupted movement across parts of the Thai capital, with motorists and pedestrians forced to navigate submerged roads and seek alternative routes.

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According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, about 52,000 households have been affected by the flooding, prompting authorities to declare a flood disaster and intensify emergency response efforts.

Emergency teams have been deployed to assist affected communities and move residents from vulnerable areas to safer locations as water levels rise.

Bangkok is accustomed to seasonal heavy rainfall, but intense downpours can overwhelm drainage systems, particularly in low-lying areas, resulting in widespread flooding and disruption.

Authorities are continuing to monitor affected locations while coordinating evacuations and other emergency measures.

For thousands of residents, the immediate priority remains securing safe shelter and protecting homes and livelihoods as authorities work to manage the situation and restore normal activities once the floodwaters recede.

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‘They Are Dying’ — Trump Explains Why He Rejected Iran’s Hormuz Proposal

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US President Donald Trump has explained his decision to reject Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran was seeking an agreement because it was losing revenue.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Iran wanted to immediately reopen the strategically important waterway but argued that the proposal was not acceptable to his administration.

“They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine. I like making a deal, too, but that deal would not be acceptable,” Trump said.

SEE ALSO: How the Strait of Hormuz Attack Could Trigger a Fresh Global Oil Shock

According to the US president, Iran’s push to reopen the strait was driven by the economic pressure it was facing.

“What they want to do is immediately open the Hormuz Strait. Do you know why? Because they are dying,” Trump said.

“You know why they’re dying? Because they have no money coming in, because they get their money from the Hormuz Strait.”

Trump also claimed that the US had established an unprecedented naval blockade against Iran, describing it as “a wall of steel.”

“So they outsmarted themselves. We put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It’s a wall of steel,” he said.

“And guess what? They don’t have any money now because they wanted to close the strait.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a major global energy shipping route, and disruption to traffic through the waterway has significant implications for international oil markets and countries that depend on energy imports.

Trump’s remarks came amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran over the reopening of the strategic waterway and negotiations involving Iran.

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