The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has confirmed that at least 1,457 people lost their lives in the powerful earthquake that struck Kunar province and surrounding areas earlier this week, while cautioning against the spread of inflated casualty figures.

Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, addressed the matter in a post on X, stressing that some “irresponsible individuals” had been circulating “excessively high and inaccurate figures” regarding the death toll. He underlined that such claims were unfounded and did not reflect official reports.

“Search and rescue operations among the rubble of collapsed houses continued until late Wednesday, resulting in the discovery of more bodies and an increase in the official death toll,” Fitrat stated. He added that the exact figures were still being consolidated and would be officially announced once fully confirmed.

As of Wednesday, official data indicated that the earthquake had killed 1,457 people, injured 3,394, and destroyed 6,782 homes. The 6.0-magnitude quake, recorded by the US Geological Survey, struck around midnight on Sunday, devastating Kunar province and causing severe destruction in neighboring Nangarhar, Laghman, Panjshir, and Nuristan provinces.

Fitrat condemned the spread of unverified information, saying: “It is worth noting that some irresponsible individuals have shared very high death toll figures; these figures are not accurate, and we do not confirm them.”

The Islamic Emirate has dispatched emergency teams to the affected areas, where survivors are grappling with the loss of loved ones, injuries, and the destruction of homes. Relief efforts are ongoing as authorities work to provide shelter and aid to thousands left homeless by the disaster. (ILKHA)