Camera captures deadly tremors in Afghanistan: Magnitude 6 quake flattens villages, over 800 dead; buildings reduced to rubble

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale hit Afghanistan on late Sunday, claiming over 800 lives and injuring around 2,500 others. The earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border has caused extensive damage, destroying numerous villages and buildings, according to the interior ministry. Several videos of the destructive earthquake have gone viral. A CCTV camera captured the strong tremors that occurred at 11:47 pm. US Geological Survey said that it was 8 kilometres deep. It explains that shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.PM Modi expressed sorrow over the deadly earthquake that killed hundreds and offered all possible humanitarian aid and relief. Taking to X, he wrote, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected.""Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed. The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area," Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health, told news agency AP.According to the ministry, the deaths and injuries are expected to increase as rescue operations are under way.Strong tremors hit a series of towns in Kunar province, near Jalalabad. He added that many regions had not been able to report casualties, and "the numbers were expected to change" as death and injuries are reported.A resident of Nurgal district, one of the worst-affected areas, said that the entire village was destroyed."Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble," the resident told AP. "We need help here," he pleaded. "We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble."Another survivor said that he witnessed several houses being collapsed before his eyes and people screaming. He told AP that he was woken up by a loud boom sound and ran to rescue his children. When he returned to rescue other family members, the room fell on top of him. "I was half-buried and unable to get out," he told AP. "My wife and two sons are dead and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out."It felt like the whole mountain was shaking, he added.