Rescue operations continue in quake-hit Afghan provinces

Men look for their belongings after an earthquake, in Kishim district of Badakhshan province, Afghanistan October 27, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

KABUL - Rescue and relief workers have increased emergency response efforts for the victims of a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan, said an official of the country's National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) on Tuesday.

"The latest information by ANDMA showed that 74 people were killed while 343 others were wounded by Monday's massive earthquake," Mohammad Hassan Sayas, deputy to ANDMA, told Xinhua by phone.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake with a depth of 210 km hit the Hindu Kush mountain range in northern Afghanistan at 0909 GMT on Monday, with strong tremors also felt in Pakistan and India.

Up to 3,297 houses and compounds had been destroyed or severely damaged by the natural disaster in the affected provinces and the number may rise, he said.

All national and international aid agencies, including Afghan Red Crescent, have been in close contact with ANDMA, Sayas said, adding, "there has been a close and proper coordination between the disaster agency and all national and international aid agencies as well as the ministries for defense and interior for providing assistance to the affected areas."

"As of now, our agency is in need of non-food stuffs namely tents, blankets, kitchen tools and clothes," he said.

"We are still collecting reports on casualties and damage, but the number of deaths and wounded will likely increase," Sayas said.