1,000 Dead, 1,500 Injured in Afghan Quake
2022-06-23
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1A powerful earthquake hit a rural, mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday.
2The state-run news agency said the quake killed at least 1,000 people and injured 1,500 more.
3Officials also warned that the number is expected to rise.
4It was the deadliest quake in Afghanistan for 20 years.
5In March 2002, a total of 1,100 were killed after the earthquakes in the Hindu Kush area.
6Wednesday's disaster is a major test for the Taliban-led government.
7The group seized power last year after the U.S. and NATO allies pulled out of the country.
8Rescuers arrived at the area by helicopter.
9But the rescue operation is likely to be difficult without international assistance.
10The Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzadah rarely appears in public.
11On Wednesday, he called for "the international community and all humanitarian organizations to help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort to help the affected people."
12Neighboring Pakistan's Meteorological Department said the quake's center was in Afghanistan's Paktika area.
13That is about 50 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost.
14Buildings were damaged in Khost and tremors were felt about 375 kilometers away in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
15There is still little information on Wednesday's 6.1 magnitude quake.
16But quakes of that strength can cause serious damage in an area where homes and other buildings are poorly made.
17There are also landslides in the area.
18Images from Paktika showed men carrying people in blankets to helicopters. Others were treated on the ground.
19Some images showed people looking through bricks and stones from destroyed houses, many of which had collapsed roofs or walls.
20Robert Saunders is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
21He said an earthquake of that size would not create so much destruction in most places in the world.
22But a quake's damage often depends on geography, building quality and population density.
23"Because of the mountainous area, there are rockslides and landslides that we won't know about until later reporting.
24Older buildings are likely to crumble and fail," Saunders said.
25In Kabul, Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund organized an emergency meeting to plan a recovery effort.
26And a Taliban official added, "When such a big incident happens in any country, there is a need for help from other countries."
27A U.N. official in Afghanistan said that help is on its way but that may be difficult.
28Many international aid groups had left the country following the U.S. exit because of concerns about security and the Taliban's poor human rights record.
29The Italian medical aid group Emergency still operates in Afghanistan.
30The organization said it sent seven ambulances and workers to the areas closest to the earthquake.
31And Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif of neighboring Pakistan said his nation would provide help.
32I'm Dan Novak.
1A powerful earthquake hit a rural, mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday. The state-run news agency said the quake killed at least 1,000 people and injured 1,500 more. Officials also warned that the number is expected to rise. 2It was the deadliest quake in Afghanistan for 20 years. In March 2002, a total of 1,100 were killed after the earthquakes in the Hindu Kush area. 3Wednesday's disaster is a major test for the Taliban-led government. The group seized power last year after the U.S. and NATO allies pulled out of the country. 4Rescuers arrived at the area by helicopter. But the rescue operation is likely to be difficult without international assistance. 5The Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzadah rarely appears in public. On Wednesday, he called for "the international community and all humanitarian organizations to help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort to help the affected people." 6Neighboring Pakistan's Meteorological Department said the quake's center was in Afghanistan's Paktika area. That is about 50 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost. Buildings were damaged in Khost and tremors were felt about 375 kilometers away in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. 7There is still little information on Wednesday's 6.1 magnitude quake. But quakes of that strength can cause serious damage in an area where homes and other buildings are poorly made. There are also landslides in the area. 8Images from Paktika showed men carrying people in blankets to helicopters. Others were treated on the ground. Some images showed people looking through bricks and stones from destroyed houses, many of which had collapsed roofs or walls. 9Robert Saunders is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He said an earthquake of that size would not create so much destruction in most places in the world. But a quake's damage often depends on geography, building quality and population density. 10"Because of the mountainous area, there are rockslides and landslides that we won't know about until later reporting. Older buildings are likely to crumble and fail," Saunders said. 11In Kabul, Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund organized an emergency meeting to plan a recovery effort. And a Taliban official added, "When such a big incident happens in any country, there is a need for help from other countries." 12A U.N. official in Afghanistan said that help is on its way but that may be difficult. Many international aid groups had left the country following the U.S. exit because of concerns about security and the Taliban's poor human rights record. 13The Italian medical aid group Emergency still operates in Afghanistan. The organization said it sent seven ambulances and workers to the areas closest to the earthquake. And Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif of neighboring Pakistan said his nation would provide help. 14I'm Dan Novak. 15Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press and Reuters. 16________________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18spare - v. to not do or provide 19tremor- n. a shaking movement of the ground before or after an earthquake 20magnitude - n. the size, extent, or importance of something 21density - n. the quality of having parts that are close together 22crumble - v. to break into small pieces 23ambulance - n. a vehicle used for taking hurt or sick people to the hospital especially in emergencies