Afghanistan Earthquakes 1998
Impacts |
Social |
In the first earthquake 4000 people were killed, and in the second earthquake 5000 people were killed. After the earthquakes, as many as 250 people then died because of an aftershock; this was because there were no means of communication between rescue efforts and the people who needed help most, and it actually took three days before people in the capital had even realised that there was an earthquake. An unknown number died because there was no access to medical treatments because all the transport routes had been cut off.
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There was not much of an economic impact as a result of the earthquake; even though it caused much damage , many of the people affected did not have much wealth. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world and in the Human Development Index, they sit 175 out of 187. There is a history of civil and international war, the two major earthquakes of 1998 only served to put more hardship onto the citizens of the country. As a result of destruction of villages and transport routes, many would have been left without work and would have been forced to find a life else where.
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Economic |
Environmental |
Houses were built of mud and earth, and many were swept away by the resulting mud slides caused by the earthquake. These houses weren't built on strong foundations, many were built on steep hillsides that were easy for the mud slides to destroy. Over 30 villages were destroyed by the earthquake and 70 of them were severely damaged and left ,amy people homeless, in addition to the many that had become homeless due to the recent conflict. There was no method of communication between these rural villages, but all the transport rour=tes were destroyed.
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