Powerful earthquake kills at least 20 people in northern Afghanistan
Kabul (AP): A powerful, 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300 others, a health official said.
The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicentre was located 22 kilometres west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12:59 am at a depth of 28 kilometres.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said the quake killed at least 20 people and injured 320 others.
Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's disaster management agency, said most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after receiving initial treatment.
In the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Ministry of Defence announced that rescue and emergency aid teams have reached the areas affected by last night's earthquake in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, which suffered the most damage, and have begun rescue operations, including transporting the injured and assisting affected families.
The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a post on X platform said the earthquake hit Afghanistan's Balkh, Samangan and Baghlan provinces, causing casualties and financial loss.
He expressed his sorrow and grief over the losses and said relevant governmental organisations were busy trying to get needed help to the people affected by the quake.
According to the Afghan officials, the earthquake was also felt in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province.
In Mazar-e-Sharif, footage circulating on social media showed damage to the historic Blue Mosque. Several bricks had fallen from the walls but the mosque remained intact. The centuries-old site is one of Afghanistan's most revered religious landmarks and a major gathering place during Islamic and cultural festivals.
The quake was felt in Kabul and several other provinces in Afghanistan. The Defence Ministry said in a statement that a rockslide briefly blocked a main mountain highway linking Kabul with Mazar-e-Sharif, but the road was later reopened.
It said some people who were injured and trapped along the highway were transported to the hospital.
The United Nations in Afghanistan said on X that Monday's earthquake came just weeks after a deadly earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan. The UN said its teams are on the ground assessing needs and delivering urgent aid.
“We stand with the affected communities and will provide the necessary support,” the post said.
Afghanistan has been rattled by a series of earthquakes in recent years and the impoverished country often faces difficulty in responding to such natural disasters, especially in remote regions.
Buildings tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood, many poorly built.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan on August 31 near the border with Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people. On October 7, 2023, a magnitude 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks left at least 4,000 people dead, according to the Taliban government.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
