A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, killing at least 1,411 people and injuring 3,124, Afghan officials said, as heavy rain, landslides and damaged roads hindered rescue efforts across Kunar, Nangarhar and neighboring provinces near the Pakistan border. A second 5.2-magnitude quake northeast of Jalalabad followed on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), deepening a crisis in a country already strained by aid cuts and widespread poverty.
Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the initial quake destroyed more than 5,400 homes and that casualties could rise as responders reach remote mountain communities. The epicenter was roughly 17 miles northeast of Jalalabad and shallow-about 8 to 10 kilometers deep-conditions that typically amplify surface damage, USGS data show.
Afghan authorities urged the world to step in. "We need it because here lots of people lost their lives and houses," said Sharafat Zaman, the Taliban health ministry spokesperson, in remarks to Reuters. The ministry added that treacherous terrain and weather have left multiple villages cut off from assistance.
Rescue operations continued through Tuesday. "Rescue operations are still underway in all the affected areas today," said Hamdullah Fitrat, a deputy government spokesperson. "Dozens of commandos have been airlifted to areas where planes could not land to pull out the injured from the rubble and transport them to a suitable location." In Kunar, officials said thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, with responders warning of additional victims beneath collapsed structures.
Survivors described harrowing escapes and loss. "I was half-buried and unable to get out," said Sadiqullah, a resident of Nurgal in Kunar, who told the Associated Press his wife and two sons were killed. Photos and videos from Kunar showed residents digging with shovels through piles of mudbrick and concrete as helicopters ferried wounded to hospitals in Nangarhar.
International agencies highlighted the scale and frequency of seismic risk. "Since 1950, 71 other magnitude 6 or larger earthquakes occurred within 250 km of the August 31 earthquake, including six magnitude 7 and larger earthquakes," USGS said. The World Health Organization reported that the hardest-hit districts in Kunar include Chawkay, Nurgal, Chapa Dara, Dara-e-Pech and Watapur, with damage also in Nangarhar and Laghman.
Funding constraints are compounding the disaster. Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has fallen to about $767 million in 2025 from $3.8 billion in 2022, according to figures cited by Reuters, following the Taliban's 2021 takeover and restrictions that have complicated NGO operations. "This is not the first shock that we've faced this year. We're undergoing a drought. We're supporting the returnee response. We're still working with the earthquake-affected people in Herat. There's a huge malnutrition crisis in the country," said Thamindri De Silva, National Director of World Vision Afghanistan, on CNN. "So it's not just the funding shortfalls, it's the compounding of shock after shock in the country, which is stretching already very thin resources."
Some governments announced targeted assistance. The United Arab Emirates dispatched food, medical supplies, tents and a search-and-rescue team, according to WAM. The U.K. pledged £1 million ($1.3 million) split between the U.N. Population Fund and the International Red Cross. The European Commission said it would provide €1 million ($1.16 million) in humanitarian funding and supplies. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Beijing was ready to provide help "according to Afghanistan's needs and within its capacity," while India delivered 1,000 family tents to Kabul and 15 metric tons of food to Kunar, with more relief to follow, officials said.
Hospitals in the region remained strained but operating. The WHO said several facilities appeared "functional." At Nangarhar Regional Hospital, injured children arrived without parents or relatives, according to the health ministry. "These are painful and unbearable moments," said Dr. Sharafat zaman Amar, the ministry spokesperson. Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur for Afghanistan, wrote: "As the scale of devastation from the Afghanistan earthquake becomes clearer, my deepest condolences go to the victims and their families."
Officials warned the toll may rise as access improves and aftershocks continue. Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, said earlier that evacuations were ongoing and that figures "may change significantly." Emergency responders have yet to reach some villages, local authorities said, citing washed-out roads and continuing landslide risk.
By the numbers (officials and agencies):
- Deaths: 1,411 (Taliban government)
- Injuries: 3,124 (Taliban government)
- Homes destroyed/damaged: More than 5,400 (Taliban government); one official in Nangarhar cited ~8,000 destroyed
- Magnitudes: Mainshock 6.0; aftershocks 5.2, 5.2, 4.7, 4.6 (USGS)
- Aid pledges noted: UAE, U.K. (£1 million), EU (€1 million), China (as needed), India (1,000 tents; 15 metric tons food)
