Rescue efforts are underway in Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks struck late Sunday night, killing more than 800 people and injuring thousands, according to Taliban authorities.
The 6.0-magnitude quake hit just before midnight, with tremors felt as far away as Kabul and Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that over 1.2 million people likely experienced strong shaking. At least five aftershocks followed through the night.
The worst-hit area was Kunar province, where about 800 people were confirmed dead and 2,500 injured. Neighboring Nangarhar province reported 12 deaths and 255 injuries, while 58 people were injured in Laghman.
In Nurgal district’s Wadir village, residents continued digging through the rubble more than 12 hours after the quake, searching for survivors in collapsed mud-brick homes. Many villages remain cut off due to blocked roads, the UN migration agency warned.
The quake’s epicenter was 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, at a shallow depth of eight kilometers. Shallow quakes often cause severe damage, especially in rural Afghanistan where homes are fragile and poorly built.
The Taliban government and the United Nations have mobilized emergency relief. Afghanistan’s defense ministry said at least 40 air sorties had been carried out to deliver aid and evacuate the injured. Survivors described widespread fear and panic, with many families left homeless.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Pope Leo XIV expressed condolences, pledging solidarity with the Afghan people.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range where tectonic plates meet. In 2023, Herat province was devastated by a 6.3-magnitude quake that killed over 1,500 people. In 2022, another earthquake in Paktika killed more than 1,000.
Years of war and reduced international aid have left Afghanistan especially vulnerable to natural disasters, with millions living in poverty and lacking safe housing.
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