KABUL (Dispatches) – One of Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes in recent years has killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, officials said on Monday, as rescuers struggled to reach remote mountainous areas hindered by rough terrain and heavy rainfall.
The magnitude 6.0 quake struck near midnight local time in the eastern provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, and Laghman, collapsing mudbrick homes and blocking roads. 
The disaster threatens to stretch the already limited resources of Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, which is grappling with economic hardships, dwindling foreign aid, and the fallout of mass deportations from neighboring countries.
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry, called for international assistance to help those affected. “We need it because many people have lost their lives and homes,” he told Reuters.
The quake killed 812 people in Kunar and Nangarhar, according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Rescue teams and authorities are working to clear debris and transport the injured, but heavy rains have increased the risk of landslides, complicating relief efforts.
Kate Carey, an officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), told Reuters, “The risk of landslides and rockslides is quite significant due to recent heavy rains, making many roads impassable.”
Helicopters and ground teams are transporting casualties to hospitals, while local residents help carry the wounded on makeshift stretchers. The quake destroyed entire villages, with many survivors left homeless and in urgent need of medical care.
“This is Mazar Dara in Nurgal district. The entire village has been