Afghanistan's 'devastating' earthquake: expert comment'

More than 600 people have been killed in a magnitude 6 earthquake in Eastern Afghanistan. 

Dr Alison MacLeod, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, University of Reading, provides expert comment. To request interviews, contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk. 

“The devastating magnitude 6 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan comes at a time when the province is already dealing with the impact of large floods and when the country is dealing with significant issues of drought and food insecurity.  It also comes only three years after another magnitude 6 quake, around 130km to the south in Khost province, which killed more than 1,000 people.

“This part of the world, in the far western Himalayan foothills, is prone to earthquake activity due to the proximity to the tectonic collision zone of the Indian and Eurasian plates. However, according to United States Geological Survey records, there were no smaller pre-cursor events in the weeks leading up to this quake, meaning people had no or little time to react. There have been significant aftershocks of magnitude 4-5 to the north and south since the original event. 

“The impact of this quake is likely to be great due to a number of factors, and we may see the death toll rise. Firstly, it occurred during the night when people are at home, most likely asleep and unable to react quickly. The region is remote and mountainous and does not have warning systems nor evacuation plans to alert people, as might be the case in other seismically active areas such as Japan. Traditional building design and construction in the region is not earthquake resistant, resulting in a greater likelihood of building collapse. Getting aid to the region will also be difficult due to the remoteness and road links being severed due to earthquake-generated landslides.”