02 Sep 2025

Afghanistan Earthquake Leaves More Than 1,200 Dead

Tired Earth

By The Editorial Board

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night has risen to more than 1,200, with nearly 3,000 people injured, according to Afghan authorities. Officials warned that the figures remain preliminary, as rescue teams have yet to reach several remote mountain villages hit by the disaster.

The quake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck Kunar province near the border with Pakistan at a depth of 10 kilometers, the German Research Center for Geosciences reported. The tremor, which occurred close to midnight, was felt across a vast area from Kabul to Islamabad, shaking homes and sending people fleeing into the streets.

In Kunar, one of the worst-affected regions, rescue operations are being hampered by rugged terrain. Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said helicopters had been deployed to deliver aid and evacuate victims in areas inaccessible by road. “Recovery efforts are still underway in villages where people remain trapped beneath the rubble,” he said.

Journalists and aid workers arriving in the mountainous town of Wadir described scenes of devastation. Few families escaped unscathed: almost every household was mourning at least one dead or injured relative, and nearly every home had sustained damage. In one destroyed house, emergency workers—greeted as heroes upon arrival by helicopter—pulled a woman alive from the ruins. “When we rescued her, she immediately asked about her children still buried under the debris,” one rescuer told reporters before returning to the search.

Helicopters are landing every few hours in the affected areas, delivering food and water while carrying out the most seriously injured on stretchers. Many of the victims—men, women, and children who were sleeping when the tremor struck—are being transferred to hospitals in Jalalabad, the capital of neighboring Nangarhar province, about 40 kilometers away.

Residents and relief workers continue to face aftershocks, which have added to fears of further collapses in already fragile structures. Authorities said the full extent of the damage may not be known for days, as communications remain limited and entire communities are cut off.

This earthquake is among the deadliest to hit Afghanistan in recent years, underscoring the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters at a time when it faces deep humanitarian and economic challenges.

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