- A midnight earthquake flattens villages in eastern Afghanistan
- Killing over 800 and injuring thousands
- As rescue efforts struggle against blocked roads
- Overwhelmed hospitals and dwindling international aid
KABUL: A powerful earthquake strikes eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 800 people and injuring at least 2,800, officials say, as rescuers battle to reach remote mountainous areas where entire villages lie in ruins.
The 6.0 magnitude quake hit around midnight on Sunday in the impoverished provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, near the city of Jalalabad, at a shallow depth of about 10km. The tremors, followed by several aftershocks, were felt more than 160km away in Kabul and across the border in Pakistan.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said rescue operations are underway but warned that the toll could rise as many remain trapped beneath rubble. In Kunar alone, authorities confirm at least 610 deaths, with villages flattened and graveyards overflowing with new burials.
The Afghan defence ministry said military teams and helicopters are ferrying the injured to hospitals, with at least 40 flights carrying casualties from hard-hit districts. Local hospitals, particularly in Asadabad, report being overwhelmed with a constant flow of patients.
The disaster adds to Afghanistan’s mounting humanitarian crisis. International aid has dropped sharply in recent years, with UN figures showing funding reduced from $3.8 billion in 2022 to just $767 million this year. Health ministry officials in Kabul have appealed for urgent international assistance, citing shortages of food, shelter, and medical supplies.
Afghanistan, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, has suffered a series of deadly quakes in recent years, including one in 2022 that killed about 1,000 people in the east and another in 2023 that left thousands dead in Herat.
