The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Haibatullah Akhundzada on Wednesday issued his condolences to families of victims who died in the deadly earthquake in Khost and Paktika province earlier in the day.According to a statement issued by Akhundzada, the State Ministry for Disaster Management and all relevant officials, governors and other Afghans have been &instructed to use all available means to reach the affected areas, to pull out the martyrs and the wounded from under the rubble, to transport and treat the wounded, and provide urgent assistance to homeless and vulnerable families and take necessary measures.He said the IEA also calls on the international community, NGOs and humanitarian organizations to help the victims.I was shocked to learn that last night there was a strong earthquake in Gayan, Nika, Barmal and Ziruk districts of Paktika province and Spiri district of Khost province.According to latest reports, about 900 of our countrymen were martyred and more than 600 were injured.
Hundreds of residences have been destroyed and casualties are likely to rise,& he said.He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) deeply extends its condolences to the families of the victims, their relatives and all the people of Afghanistan because of this tragic event.Wednesday's earthquake of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 920 people and injured 600 more in remote mountain villages in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika and Khost provinces.Addressing a press conference earlier Wednesday, Sharafuddin Muslim, the deputy state minister for disaster management, confirmed the revised death toll and said Barmal district of Paktika was the most affected region.However, officials said the toll is expected to grow as information trickles in from remote mountain villages.Helicopters were deployed in the rescue effort to reach the injured and fly in medical supplies and food, said another official.Wednesday's quake was the deadliest since 2002.
It struck about 44 km from the southeastern city of Khost, near the border with Pakistan, the US Geological Survey (USGC) said.The post IEA's supreme leader sends condolences to victims of Afghanistan earthquake first appeared on Ariana News.