Afghan commandos airdrop to quake zones where helicopters can’t land

Afghanistan airdropped commandos on Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble of homes in mountainous eastern areas ravaged by earthquakes this week that have killed 1,400, as it ramped up efforts to deliver food, shelter and medical supplies.

The first earthquake of magnitude 6, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in recent years, unleashed widespread damage and destruction when it struck the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar around midnight on Sunday at a shallow depth of 10km (6 miles).

A second quake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday evening caused panic and interrupted rescue efforts as it sent rocks sliding down mountains and cut off roads to villages in remote areas.

Dozens of commando forces were being airdropped at sites where helicopters cannot land, to help carry the injured to safer ground, Ehsanullah Ehsan, the head of disaster management in Kunar, said in a text message.

Authorities have set up a camp to coordinate supplies and emergency aid, while two centres were overseeing the transfer of the injured, the burial of the dead and the rescue of survivors, Ehsan added.

Earlier, rescuers used helicopters to ferry the wounded to hospitals, battling mountainous terrain and harsh weather to reach quake-hit villages along the border with Pakistan, where the tremors flattened mud-brick homes.