By Peter Omopo
September 1, 2025
A powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, killing more than 800 people and injuring thousands, Taliban authorities confirmed on Monday.
The 6.0-magnitude quake hit just before midnight, collapsing homes onto sleeping families and rattling buildings as far as Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that at least 1.2 million people likely felt strong or very strong shaking, with five aftershocks recorded overnight.
Casualties were reported across at least five provinces. In remote Kunar province, 800 people were confirmed dead and 2,500 injured, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Neighboring Nangarhar province recorded 12 deaths and 255 injuries, while 58 people were injured in Laghman province.
The quake’s epicentre was 27 kilometres from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, at a shallow depth of eight kilometres. Such shallow tremors tend to cause greater destruction, particularly in Afghanistan where most people live in fragile mud-brick homes.
Rescue operations were ongoing Monday, with the Taliban and United Nations mobilising resources. The defence ministry said at least 40 helicopter sorties had been deployed to evacuate victims. However, aid agencies warned that some of the worst-hit villages remained inaccessible due to blocked roads.
“There is a lot of fear and tension… Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives,” said Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, a local agricultural officer in Nurgal district.
International leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Pope Leo XIV, offered condolences, expressing solidarity with Afghanistan as it grapples with yet another tragedy.
Afghanistan, located near the convergence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, is highly earthquake-prone. In June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude quake in Paktika province killed over 1,000 people, while a 6.3-magnitude quake devastated Herat province in 2023, killing 1,500.
The disaster comes as Afghanistan continues to battle multiple crises, including widespread poverty, displacement, and reduced foreign aid since the Taliban’s return to power. The UN estimates that 85 percent of Afghans live on less than one dollar a day, leaving millions highly vulnerable to natural disasters.
