‘Entire villages laid to waste’: Rescuers desperately try to reach survivors of Afghanistan’s deadly quake

Heavy rains, landslides, isolated regions, few resources from the Taliban government and international aid are all worsening the impact of the deadly quake

The full scale of the damage wrought by Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in two decades that struck on Wednesday killing at least 1,000 people and injuring 1,600 is still unknown, as a frantic search continued for survivors amid heavy rain and few resources.

Despite the official tally, an unknown number of people are still believed to be buried under rubble as rescuers desperately try to rescue them in the isolated, mountainous region of Paktika, before it is too late.

Rescuers working in the area tell The Independent that the scale of the damage was vast. International organisations are deploying emergency responses, but for a country in ruins for decades, resources are scarce.