A 5.8 magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan has killed at least eight members of a refugee family on the outskirts of Kabul. The victims had recently returned from Iran and were living in a tent when the tremor struck on Friday night.
A three-year-old boy, Aarash, was the sole survivor and is being treated for a severe head injury in hospital. The family's tent was set up next to a wall that collapsed onto them during the quake, with heavy rain having softened the ground.
Afghanistan's deputy government spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, confirmed on Saturday that the overall death toll had risen to 12, with four others injured. However, the Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority reported nine fatalities. The reason for the differing figures was not immediately clear.
Mr Fitrat also stated that five homes were completely destroyed and 33 others significantly damaged across six provinces, including Kabul, Panjshir and Logar. The family near Kabul were among millions of Afghan refugees who have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan after crackdowns on foreigners in 2023.
The family head, Najibullah, aged about 50, had no other shelter and had arrived 15 days ago. The quake's epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometres east of Kunduz. Afghanistan is highly seismically active, with recent deadly quakes including a 6.0 magnitude earthquake last August that killed over 2,200 people.
