Kabul: A powerful earthquake rocked eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, leaving more than 800 dead and 2,500 injured as homes collapsed across remote mountainous regions near the Pakistan border. The magnitude 6.0 tremor, accompanied by multiple aftershocks, sent waves of panic from Kabul to Islamabad, uprooting communities already grappling with decades of conflict and instability.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that more than 1.2 million people likely felt strong to very strong shaking. The epicenter was located in Kunar province, approximately 27 kilometers from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometers a factor that exacerbated the destruction in densely packed villages. Taliban authorities confirmed the death toll and injuries, with Kunar province bearing the brunt of the devastation and Nangarhar reporting additional casualties.
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani described the widespread destruction of homes, emphasizing that most Afghans live in low-rise, mud-brick houses highly vulnerable to seismic activity. “Numerous houses were destroyed,” he said. UN agencies warned that several of the hardest-hit villages in Kunar remain inaccessible due to blocked roads and damaged infrastructure, complicating relief operations.
In a statement to AFP, a member of Kunar’s agricultural department reported frantic efforts by locals to clear roads and reach isolated villages. “There is a lot of fear and tension. Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives,” said Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, reflecting the trauma experienced by the affected communities. Many victims were among the more than four million Afghan returnees who had come back from Pakistan and Iran in recent years, attempting to rebuild their lives and homes.
The Taliban authorities, alongside the United Nations, mobilized rescue operations, with the defense ministry reporting 40 flight sorties to the region so far. Efforts are ongoing to provide urgent medical aid, food, and shelter to the survivors. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed condolences and solidarity, calling the event a devastating blow to the Afghan people.
The earthquake, followed by a series of aftershocks including a magnitude 5.2 tremor early Monday morning, struck a region already prone to seismic activity. The Hindu Kush mountain range, where the quake occurred, lies at the convergence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates and has historically been a site of frequent, deadly earthquakes. Nangarhar province had already suffered flooding just days earlier, killing five people and destroying crops, compounding the humanitarian crisis.
This disaster recalls previous seismic tragedies in Afghanistan. In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude quake in Herat province killed over 1,500 people and leveled tens of thousands of homes. In June 2022, Paktika province was hit by a 5.9-magnitude quake that left more than 1,000 dead and tens of thousands homeless.
As rescue operations continue, the scale of the disaster underscores Afghanistan’s vulnerability to natural catastrophes amidst ongoing socio-political challenges. International aid agencies are being called upon to support relief efforts, while Taliban authorities struggle to reach remote communities cut off by the quake and damaged terrain. The full extent of the destruction may take days to assess, but the immediate focus remains saving lives and providing emergency care to the thousands affected.