Kabul Quake Claims Eight Lives After House Collapse in Bagrami

Kabul Quake Claims Eight Lives After House Collapse in Bagrami
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A powerful earthquake struck Afghanistan on Friday night, killing eight members of one family after a house collapsed in the Bagrami district of Kabul, Khaama Press reported. The victims were reported from the Gosfand Dara area, where one more person was initially said to be missing after the collapse.

A spokesman for the Kabul governor said the dead included a father, mother, four daughters and two sons, underscoring the human toll of the latest tremor on families living in fragile housing. Reports also said at least one child was injured in the collapse.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other seismic monitors said the quake measured about 5.8 magnitude and struck at around 8:45 p.m. local time, with its epicenter in the Hindu Kush region. The tremor was felt across large parts of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.

Although the epicenter was far from Kabul, the collapse in Bagrami showed how even a relatively deep earthquake can cause deadly destruction in vulnerable residential areas, especially where buildings are poorly reinforced.

Afghanistan is one of the region’s most earthquake-prone countries, particularly around the Hindu Kush fault zone, where frequent seismic activity has caused repeated loss of life over the years.

Many homes in both urban outskirts and rural districts are built with mud brick, timber or weak materials, leaving communities especially exposed when earthquakes strike suddenly at night.