Kabul: International aid agencies and local authorities are working at record pace after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Monday, killing at least 622 people and injuring more than 1,300. The tremor devastated remote mountainous villages in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, Taliban officials confirmed.
Afghanistan earthquake 2025: Epicenter and Aftershocks
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake hit at 11:47 p.m. local time, with its epicenter located about 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province. Striking at a shallow depth of 8 km, the tremor caused massive destruction, collapsing fragile clay and stone homes.
Several aftershocks followed, including a 5.2-magnitude jolt just after dawn that sent terrified residents back into the streets. Tremors were felt as far away as Kabul and Islamabad, nearly 350 km from the epicenter.
Casualties and Destruction
Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, confirmed that Kunar province suffered the heaviest toll with over 610 deaths and 1,300 injuries. Nangarhar also reported at least a dozen fatalities and hundreds of wounded.
Footage from the disaster zone showed residents digging through the rubble with bare hands, pulling survivors and bodies from collapsed homes. Helicopters and ambulances rushed victims to hospitals, while makeshift stretchers carried others to waiting medical teams.
Global and Local Response
“The quake has killed hundreds and destroyed many houses. Rescue operations are ongoing,” Zaman said, adding that medical teams have been dispatched from Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kabul.
The United Nations confirmed its humanitarian staff were working with local responders. “Our teams are on the ground, delivering emergency assistance and lifesaving support. Our thoughts are with the affected communities,” the UN mission in Afghanistan posted on X.
Officials warned that the death toll may rise as rescuers reach remote villages in rugged terrain, where poor road networks and limited infrastructure are slowing relief efforts.
Recurring Tragedy
Afghanistan is highly earthquake-prone, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide. In June 2022, a 6.1-magnitude quake in Paktika province killed more than 1,000 people, the deadliest in two decades.
Monday night’s tragedy further compounds the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, marked by poverty, food shortages, and a strained healthcare system — worsened by international sanctions and reduced foreign aid since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
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