Earthquake leaves more than 600 dead in Afghanistan

Tremor of magnitude 6 and several replicas affects Kunar and Nangarhar’s provinces on the border with Pakistan, and leaves at least 2,500,000 injured.

More than 800 people died and at least 2,800,000 were injured after a strong 6-degree earthquake and several replicas reached east Afghanistan on Sunday night (08/31), local authorities said on Monday.

The earthquakes were felt tightly in the Eastern Provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Nurst and Laghman, and the tremors also hit the capital, Cabul.

According to local authorities, 812 people died in Kunar and Nangarhar. Military rescue teams spread throughout the provinces, reported the Ministry of Defense of the Taliban government, adding that 40 flights carried 420 injured and killed.

Afghanistan is likely to deadly earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush line, where the tectonic plates of India and Eurasia meet. More than 1,500 people died in a series of earthquakes on October 7, 2023, according to the UN. The Taliban reported up to 2,500 deaths at the time. In June 2022, magnitude 6.1 tremors killed at least a thousand people.

Epicetro of Epestro

The United States Geological Service (USGS) located the epicenter of the main magnitude, 42 kilometers from Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, and at a depth of eight kilometers, which usually amplifies the power of destruction.

The initial tremor, registered at 11:47 pm on Sunday (local time, 4:17 pm GMT), was followed by at least two replicas of magnitude 5.2.

Rescues in progress

Rescue teams have been working since early morning to locate survivors between the rubble, although operations are hampered by landlords that blocked important roads in kunar and nurst.

On Monday, helicopters were carrying injured to a hospital after they were removed from the rubble. Authorities fear that the balance of victims will increase as remote areas are accessed.

Rescue teams fought to find survivors in the area bordering the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in Pakistan, where mud houses were devastated by the earthquake. The tremors were also felt in the neighboring country, including the capital, Islamabad.

The United Nations mission in the country has mobilized personnel to provide “emergency assistance and vital support”, while Crescent Red Afghan has already sent medical teams to Kunar, the most affected province.

Kunar is a remote region on the border with Pakistan, nestled in the valleys of the Hindu Kush mountain range, whose population lives mainly in precarious clay and straw houses, extremely vulnerable to seismos.

This structural fragility, coupled with decades of conflict and the lack of infrastructure, has expanded the impact of disaster.

The Taliban recognized the magnitude of the disaster. “Unfortunately, tonight’s earthquake has caused deaths and material damage to some of our oriental provinces,” wrote spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on social network X.

“Local employees and residents are currently involved in rescue efforts. Center support teams and neighboring provinces are also on their way, and all available resources will be used to save lives,” he added.

“All of our teams have been mobilized to accelerate assistance so that we can provide comprehensive and complete support,” the Afghan Interior Ministry controlled by Taliban told Reuters news agency, citing efforts in areas ranging from safety to food and health.

In Cabul, health officials said rescue teams were running to remote villages spread across an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.

In Nurist, the authorities confirmed that residents felt strong tremors, but ensured that so far no victims or material damage have been reported.

“Strong tremors have also been felt in the province, but so far there are no reports of human or material losses,” Nurist’s director of information and culture to the EFE news agency told.

Kunar province, the most affected, is located on the border with Pakistan, in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Road precariousness and almost non -existent access to communications in rural areas make it difficult to evaluate damage and coordinate aid.

Originally published by DW on 01/09/2025