A massive earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan late on August 31, leaving devastation across multiple provinces. At least 800 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 2,800 injured, according to local authorities. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but blocked roads, mountainous terrain, and limited infrastructure are slowing progress.
The earthquake, measured at magnitude 6.0, struck near Jalalabad in Kunar Province, close to the border with Pakistan. The tremor occurred at a shallow depth—just 8 to 10 kilometers underground—amplifying the shockwaves that flattened buildings across rural villages.
Entire communities built from mud bricks and stone were destroyed within seconds. Many homes collapsed during the night as families slept inside. Survivors have described heartbreaking scenes of devastation: parents digging through rubble with bare hands, and entire neighborhoods turned to dust.
The Taliban-led Interior Ministry reported at least 812 fatalities, including more than 600 deaths in Kunar alone. Thousands more remain missing or injured, and officials say the numbers are expected to climb as rescue teams reach isolated areas.
The provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and parts of Nuristan are among the hardest hit. In several districts, graves are being dug en masse, as communities struggle to cope with the scale of loss.
Efforts to save survivors and transport the wounded are being carried out by local volunteers, Taliban emergency crews, and medical workers. Helicopters have made dozens of flights, ferrying the injured to hospitals, but many regions are still cut off due to landslides and damaged infrastructure.
Aid groups warn that the disaster has overwhelmed local health facilities. Emergency supplies, including food, water, medicine, and shelter, are critically needed. The Taliban government has formally requested international assistance, appealing to the UN and global humanitarian organizations for help.
Afghanistan lies in a seismically active zone, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. This latest quake is one of the deadliest since 2023, when over 1,000 people died in a similar disaster in the west of the country.
Many rural Afghan homes are not built to withstand earthquakes, making even moderate tremors catastrophic. Relief agencies have long warned that the country’s vulnerability is worsened by decades of conflict, poverty, and crumbling infrastructure.
