A powerful earthquake hit a rural, mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday. The state-run news agency said the quake killed at least 1,000 people and injured 1,500 more. Officials also warned that the number is expected to rise.
周三早上，一场强烈地震袭击了阿富汗东部农村地区。国营通讯社表示，地震造成至少1000人死亡，1500多人受伤。有关官员还警告称，预计这一数字还会上升。
It was the deadliest quake in Afghanistan for 20 years. In March 2002, a total of 1,100 were killed after the earthquakes in the Hindu Kush area.
这是阿富汗20年来最致命的地震。2002年3月，兴都库什地区发生地震后，共有 1100 人丧生。
Wednesday's disaster is a major test for the Taliban-led government. The group seized power last year after the U.S. and NATO allies pulled out of the country.
周三的灾难是对塔利班领导的政府的一次重大考验。该组织去年在美国和北约盟国撤出该国后夺取了政权。
Rescuers arrived at the area by helicopter. But the rescue operation is likely to be difficult without international assistance.
救援人员乘坐直升机抵达了现场。但是如果没有国际援助，救援行动可能会很困难。
The Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzadah rarely appears in public. On Wednesday, he called for "the international community and all humanitarian organizations to help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort to help the affected people."
塔利班最高领导人海巴图拉·阿昆扎达很少公开露面。周三，他呼吁“国际社会和所有人道主义组织帮助遭受这场巨大悲剧的阿富汗人民，并不遗余力地帮助受灾群众。”
Neighboring Pakistan's Meteorological Department said the quake's center was in Afghanistan's Paktika area. That is about 50 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost. Buildings were damaged in Khost and tremors were felt about 375 kilometers away in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
邻国巴基斯坦的气象部门表示，震中位于阿富汗的帕克蒂卡地区。这里位于霍斯特市西南约 50 公里处。霍斯特市的建筑物遭到破坏，375公里以外的巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡也有震感。
There is still little information on Wednesday's 6.1 magnitude quake. But quakes of that strength can cause serious damage in an area where homes and other buildings are poorly made. There are also landslides in the area.
关于周三这场6.1级地震的信息仍然很少。但是，这种强度的地震可能会在房屋等建筑建造不良的地区造成严重破坏。该地区还发生了山体滑坡。
Images from Paktika showed men carrying people in blankets to helicopters. Others were treated on the ground. Some images showed people looking through bricks and stones from destroyed houses, many of which had collapsed roofs or walls.
来自帕克蒂卡的图片显示男子用毯子把人抬上直升机。其他人在地上接受治疗。一些图片显示，人们从被毁房屋的砖石块中往里看，其中许多房屋的房顶或墙壁倒塌。
Robert Saunders is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He said an earthquake of that size would not create so much destruction in most places in the world. But a quake's damage often depends on geography, building quality and population density.
罗伯特·桑德斯是美国地质调查局的科学家。他说，这种规模的地震在全球大部分地区不会造成如此大的破坏。但是地震的破坏通常取决于地理、建筑质量和人口密度。
"Because of the mountainous area, there are rockslides and landslides that we won't know about until later reporting. Older buildings are likely to crumble and fail," Saunders said.
桑德斯表示：“由于是山区，发生山体滑坡要等到报道后我们才能知道。老旧建筑可能会倒塌。”
In Kabul, Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund organized an emergency meeting to plan a recovery effort. And a Taliban official added, "When such a big incident happens in any country, there is a need for help from other countries."
在喀布尔，总理穆罕默德·哈桑·阿洪德组织了一次紧急会议安排灾后恢复工作。一名塔利班官员也说：“任何国家发生如此重大的事件时，都需要其它国家的援助。”
A U.N. official in Afghanistan said that help is on its way but that may be difficult. Many international aid groups had left the country following the U.S. exit because of concerns about security and the Taliban's poor human rights record.
联合国驻阿富汗官员表示，援助正在进行中，但是这可能会很困难。由于担心安全和塔利班糟糕的人权纪录，许多国际救援组织在美国退出后离开了该国。
The Italian medical aid group Emergency still operates in Afghanistan. The organization said it sent seven ambulances and workers to the areas closest to the earthquake. And Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif of neighboring Pakistan said his nation would provide help.
意大利医疗救援组织Emergency仍在阿富汗开展工作。该组织表示，已派出7辆救护车和工作人员前往距离地震最近的地区。邻国巴基斯坦总理沙赫巴兹·谢里夫表示，该国将提供援助。
I'm Dan Novak.
我是丹·诺瓦克。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)