KABUL, Afghanistan — A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan around midnight, killing at least 812 people and injuring over 2,800, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s recent history. The quake, centered in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar at a shallow depth of 10 km, razed homes and left rescue teams scrambling to reach survivors in remote mountainous areas along the Pakistani border.
The Taliban administration, already strained by ongoing humanitarian crises and a sharp decline in international aid, faces immense challenges in responding to the devastation. Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the health ministry in Kabul, urgently called for international assistance, stating, “We need it because here lots of people lost their lives and houses.”
Rescue operations are underway, with military teams and helicopters mobilized to ferry 420 wounded and deceased individuals from the affected areas in 40 flights, according to the defense ministry. Mudbrick homes, common in the region, collapsed across slopes, with three villages in Kunar completely destroyed and significant damage reported in others. At least 610 deaths were recorded in Kunar and 12 in Nangarhar, administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed.
Health ministry spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee emphasized the mobilization of resources, saying, “All our teams have been mobilized to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided.” However, remote areas remain cut off from mobile networks, complicating rescue efforts. Footage showed residents assisting security forces and medics in carrying the injured to ambulances in a region prone to earthquakes and floods.
This disaster marks Afghanistan’s third major deadly earthquake since the Taliban assumed power in 2021, following a 6.1-magnitude quake in 2022 that killed 1,000 people. The nation’s resources are further strained by a drop in humanitarian aid, which has plummeted from $3.8 billion in 2022 to $767 million this year, alongside the forced return of hundreds of thousands of Afghans from neighboring countries.
As rescuers continue to comb through rubble for survivors, the international community’s response will be critical to addressing the immediate needs of those affected by this tragedy.
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