A massive rescue operation is underway in Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake and subsequent aftershocks flattened homes in the country’s remote mountainous regions, killing more than 800 people, Taliban authorities reported on Monday.
The quake struck just before midnight, shaking buildings across Kabul and reaching as far as Islamabad, Pakistan. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), more than 1.2 million people likely felt strong or very strong tremors.
Kunar province, near the epicentre, was hardest hit, with approximately 800 people killed and 2,500 injured, the chief Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said. Neighboring Nangarhar province reported 12 deaths and 255 injuries.
“Numerous houses were destroyed,” said Abdul Mateen Qani, interior ministry spokesman. Most residents in these areas live in low-rise, mud-brick homes highly vulnerable to collapse.
Many of the most severely affected villages remain inaccessible due to blocked roads, the UN migration agency warned. Rescue efforts are underway, with the Taliban and United Nations coordinating relief operations. The defense ministry reported that 40 flight sorties had been deployed to assist isolated communities.
Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad, a resident of Kunar’s Nurgal district, described scenes of panic: “There is a lot of fear and tension… Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives.”
Many affected families include Afghans who recently returned from Iran and Pakistan, striving to rebuild their lives after years of displacement.
The USGS reported that the quake struck at a shallow depth of eight kilometres, approximately 27 kilometres from Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan. At least five aftershocks followed throughout the night, with the strongest registering a magnitude of 5.2.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences and solidarity with the Afghan people, highlighting the urgent humanitarian need following the disaster.
Afghanistan, frequently hit by seismic activity in the Hindu Kush mountain range, is still recovering from prior natural disasters. In October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Herat province killed over 1,500 people, while a 5.9-magnitude quake in Paktika in June 2022 left thousands homeless.
Decades of conflict and reduced foreign aid since the Taliban’s return have severely hampered Afghanistan’s capacity to respond to such crises, compounding the humanitarian challenges.
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