Hundreds Killed, Thousands Injured as Powerful Earthquake Strikes Eastern Afghanistan

A massive earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, killing at least 800 people and injuring more than 2,800 others, according to Taliban officials. The 6.0-magnitude quake, centered northeast of Jalalabad near the Pakistan border, leveled villages and set off a race to save survivors in a country already reeling from economic collapse and food shortages.

The quake struck just before midnight at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers (about 5 miles), amplifying the destruction. Entire villages in Kunar province were flattened, while homes across Nangarhar province crumbled under the shaking. Nearly half a million people felt the strong tremors, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Rescue efforts have been complicated by landslides and damaged roads, leaving emergency crews scrambling to reach the hardest-hit areas. Military helicopters conducted dozens of flights to evacuate the wounded, while local residents dug through debris by hand to free trapped survivors. “I was half-buried and unable to get out,” said one survivor from Nurgal in Kunar province, who lost his wife and two sons in the collapse.

The disaster comes amid Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, foreign aid has been sharply reduced. Earlier this year, the White House cut more than $1.7 billion in U.S. aid contracts, with several European countries following suit, further straining relief efforts. Rights groups warn that response capacity is far below what is needed for such a large-scale disaster.

The United Nations expressed deep sorrow and confirmed its teams are delivering emergency supplies. Humanitarian organizations, including the International Rescue Committee, are calling on the global community to step up, warning that needs will surpass those of the 2023 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.

The earthquake was also felt in parts of Pakistan, where officials reported strong tremors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. Aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 magnitude have rattled the region, raising fears of further damage.

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