Rescue efforts obstructed by landslides and damaged infrastructure
A magnitude-6 earthquake has struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving more than 800 dead and roughly 2,500 injured, Taliban officials reported. Relief teams are struggling to access remote mountainous villages as landslides and destroyed roads block travel.
The tremor, centered near the Pakistan border, caused the greatest damage in Kunar province. Its shallow depth amplified the destruction, while aftershocks continued into Monday, reaching as far as Kabul, over 100 miles away.
Hospitals overwhelmed by flood of casualties
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the death toll is expected to rise, with many individuals still trapped under debris. Hospitals in Asadabad and surrounding districts are inundated with injured patients.
Rasheed Khan, a trader from Kabul whose family lived in Watpur village, said he lost his wife, three children, and two brothers. “I don’t know how many relatives remain buried beneath the rubble,” he said.
Relief efforts face major challenges
Afghanistan’s defence ministry dispatched doctors and emergency supplies to Kunar, but many villages can only be reached by air due to blocked roads and landslides. Officials have urged humanitarian organizations to provide urgent support, including medical aid, food, clean water, tents, and rescue equipment.
Afghanistan’s health system, already fragile since the Taliban regained power in 2021, is struggling to respond to the disaster. Jeremy Smith of the Red Cross described rescue operations as extremely difficult, citing the region’s remoteness and ongoing aftershocks.
Villages flattened, hundreds still missing
Mud and stone homes across Kunar were destroyed. In Masood village, nearly every household suffered fatalities, with rescuers estimating up to 250 deaths. Neighboring provinces Laghman and Nuristan have also reported casualties, though complete assessments are still pending.
Muhammad Aziz, a laborer from Nur Gul district, said ten of his relatives, including five children, were killed. “Every home has collapsed, and people are digging with their bare hands to rescue those trapped,” he said.
International support mobilized
China has pledged disaster relief, while India has sent food and tents to affected communities. The United Nations is preparing emergency aid, and Pope Leo expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones.
The earthquake adds to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, with economic collapse, mass returns of refugees from Pakistan and Iran, and widespread hunger leaving millions dependent on aid. The UN estimates that over half of the country’s 42 million people require assistance.
Afghanistan sits along active fault lines in the Hindu Kush mountains, making it highly vulnerable to earthquakes. Last year, tremors in western Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people, and a magnitude-6.3 quake in October 2023 claimed thousands of lives, one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent Afghan history.
