Deadly Quake in Afghanistan Leaves Over 800 Dead, Thousands Injured

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday has climbed to more than 800, with around 2,500 people injured, according to figures released by the Taliban government. Officials said the tremor levelled several villages in Kunar province.

The 6.0 magnitude quake hit at 11:47 p.m. local time, about 27 kilometres east-northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. With a shallow depth of 8 kilometres, the quake caused extensive destruction and was followed by several aftershocks.

Rescue operations continued through the night, with emergency teams and residents searching collapsed homes for survivors. Helicopters transported the injured to hospitals, while survivors described entire families trapped beneath rubble.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that most casualties were reported in Kunar. One villager pleaded for urgent help, saying: “Children, the elderly, and young people are all under the rubble. We need support to recover the dead and rescue those still alive.”

Health officials said medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kabul had been deployed, but warned that the number of casualties was expected to rise as information comes in from remote areas where communication has been cut off.

Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain and widespread use of poorly built mud-brick housing make it highly vulnerable to earthquakes. In October 2023, a 6.3 magnitude tremor in Herat province killed thousands, marking one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s recent history.