At least 800 people were killed and more than 1,300 others injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, devastating villages in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.
The 6.0 magnitude quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said hit at 11:47 p.m. local time, was centered about 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad at a shallow depth of just 8 kilometers—an intensity that made the destruction more severe. Several aftershocks followed through the night.
In Kunar, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed 610 deaths and 1,300 injuries, while Nangarhar reported at least 12 more fatalities and hundreds wounded. Entire homes built from mud bricks and wood collapsed, leaving entire families trapped.
One villager from Nurgal district described the horror: “Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble. We need help here,” he said, appealing desperately for rescuers. “There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble.”
Footage from Nangarhar showed survivors clawing through ruins with their bare hands as others carried the injured into helicopters. Rescue operations have been complicated by the mountainous terrain and disrupted communications, but medical teams from Kabul and neighboring provinces have been dispatched.
Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said casualty figures are expected to rise as more reports come in from remote districts. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid assured that “all available resources will be utilized to save lives.”
The disaster recalls Afghanistan’s 2023 earthquake in Herat province, which killed thousands and was among the deadliest in the country’s recent history.
