Rescuers hampered by landslides and collapsed infrastructure
A powerful magnitude-6 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, claiming more than 800 lives and injuring roughly 2,500, Taliban officials reported. Relief teams are struggling to reach isolated villages in mountainous areas due to landslides and roads destroyed by the tremor.
The epicenter was near the Pakistan border, with Kunar province suffering the most severe destruction. The quake’s shallow depth intensified the damage, and aftershocks continued into Monday, shaking Kabul more than 100 miles away.
Hospitals overwhelmed by casualties
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the rising death toll, warning that many victims remain trapped beneath debris. Hospitals in Asadabad and surrounding areas are struggling to cope with the constant arrival of injured residents.
Among those affected is Rasheed Khan, a trader from Kabul whose family lived in Watpur village, Kunar. He lost his wife, three children, and two brothers. “I don’t know how many of my relatives are still under the rubble,” he said.
Relief efforts face major obstacles
Afghanistan’s defence ministry has sent doctors and emergency supplies to Kunar, but damaged roads and landslides limit access to some villages, leaving air support as the only viable option. Officials are calling on humanitarian organizations for tents, medical aid, clean water, food, and rescue equipment.
Afghanistan’s health system, already weakened since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, is ill-prepared to handle disasters of this scale. Jeremy Smith of the Red Cross said the quake’s remote location, combined with ongoing aftershocks, makes rescue operations extremely difficult.
Villages flattened, hundreds still missing
Traditional mud and stone homes were destroyed across Kunar. In Masood village, nearly every family lost loved ones, and rescuers estimate up to 250 fatalities there alone. Neighboring Laghman and Nuristan provinces also reported casualties, though full damage assessments are still underway.
Muhammad Aziz, a laborer from Nur Gul, said ten of his relatives, including his five children, were killed. “Every home has collapsed. People are digging with their hands to recover the dead,” he said.
International assistance mobilized
China has pledged disaster relief, while India has delivered food and tents to affected areas. The UN is preparing emergency support, and Pope Leo expressed condolences for the victims.
The earthquake adds to Afghanistan’s existing humanitarian crisis, with economic collapse, mass refugee returns from Pakistan and Iran, and widespread hunger. The UN estimates that over half of the nation’s 42 million residents are already reliant on aid.
Afghanistan sits atop active faults in the Hindu Kush mountains, making it highly prone to seismic events. Last year, earthquakes in western Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people, and in October 2023, a magnitude-6.3 tremor claimed thousands of lives, marking one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent memory.
