President Joe Biden is “monitoring developments” from a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan and has ordered his administration “to assess U.S. response options,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement Wednesday.
The Biden administration response follows an earthquake in Afghanistan’s mountainous eastern region on Wednesday that the Associated Press reported has killed at least 1,000 people and injured another 1,500.
The earthquake, which registered a 6.1 magnitude, was one of the deadliest in decades, officials said. Still, the death toll may continue to rise as the country recuperates from the wreckage.
“We are committed to continuing our support for the needs of the Afghan people as we stand with them during and in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy,” Sullivan said.
The natural disaster will put the country’s government, which was taken over by the Taliban last year following the United States’ departure from the area, to the test. Many international aid agencies left Afghanistan after the takeover, and reaching rural areas in the country can be difficult for rescuers in the best of circumstances.
