Blocked routes and landslides hinder rescue operations
A powerful magnitude-6 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, leaving more than 800 people dead and roughly 2,500 injured, Taliban officials reported. Relief teams are struggling to reach remote mountain villages as landslides and damaged roads prevent access.
The quake’s epicenter was near the Pakistan border, with Kunar province hardest hit. Its shallow depth worsened the destruction, and aftershocks continued into Monday, rattling areas as far as Kabul, over 100 miles away.
Hospitals overwhelmed by casualties
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the death toll is expected to climb, as many people remain trapped beneath debris. Hospitals in Asadabad and nearby districts are overflowing with injured patients.
Rasheed Khan, a trader from Kabul whose family lived in Watpur village, reported losing his wife, three children, and two brothers. “I don’t know how many relatives are still buried under the rubble,” he said.
Relief efforts face major challenges
The defence ministry sent doctors and emergency supplies to Kunar, but landslides and damaged roads leave some villages reachable only by air. Officials have appealed for urgent help from humanitarian organizations, including medical teams, tents, food, clean water, and rescue equipment.
Afghanistan’s health system, already fragile since the Taliban regained power in 2021, is struggling to respond to the disaster. Jeremy Smith of the Red Cross described the region’s remoteness and ongoing aftershocks as major obstacles for rescue operations.
Villages flattened, many still missing
Homes constructed from mud and stone were destroyed across Kunar. In Masood village, nearly every family suffered fatalities, with rescuers estimating as many as 250 deaths. Casualties have also been reported in Laghman and Nuristan provinces, though full assessments remain incomplete.
Muhammad Aziz, a laborer from Nur Gul, said ten of his relatives, including five children, were killed. “Every home has collapsed, and people are digging with their hands to rescue those trapped,” he said.
International support mobilized
China has pledged disaster relief, while India has sent food and tents to affected areas. The United Nations is preparing emergency assistance, and Pope Leo expressed condolences for those who lost loved ones.
The earthquake compounds Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, with economic collapse, returning refugees from Pakistan and Iran, and widespread hunger leaving millions dependent on aid. The UN estimates over half of the country’s 42 million residents need humanitarian assistance.
Afghanistan lies on active fault lines in the Hindu Kush mountains, making it highly susceptible to earthquakes. Last year, tremors in western Afghanistan killed over 1,000 people, and a magnitude-6.3 quake in October 2023 claimed thousands of lives, ranking among the deadliest natural disasters in recent Afghan history.
