Afghanistan Earthquake Kills Over 800, Injures Thousands

KABUL (Reuters) — More than 800 people have been killed and at least 2,800 injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, authorities said on Monday.

Rescue efforts are underway as helicopters airlift the wounded from collapsed villages to hospitals.

The 6.0-magnitude quake, which hit at a depth of 10 kilometers around midnight, devastated the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar near the Pakistani border. Entire mudbrick villages were flattened, with at least 610 deaths reported in Kunar and 12 in Nangarhar, according to officials.

“This is a huge tragedy. Many people have lost their lives and homes,” said Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the health ministry in Kabul, appealing for urgent international aid.

Taliban administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that military and civilian rescue teams have been deployed, with 40 flights already carrying 420 wounded and dead from the disaster zone.

Villages Razed, Rescue Hindered

Authorities said three villages in Kunar were completely destroyed, while many others suffered heavy damage. Rescue teams are struggling to reach remote mountainous areas cut off from mobile networks, where survivors remain trapped under rubble.

Reuters footage showed residents helping medics carry victims to ambulances, while Taliban soldiers and military helicopters ferried the injured to Jalalabad.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The quake marks Afghanistan’s third major deadly earthquake since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, which triggered a sharp cut in international funding. Humanitarian aid has dropped drastically — from $3.8 billion in 2022 to just $767 million this year — as global crises and Taliban restrictions on women, including female aid workers, deter donors.

Aid agencies warn that more than half of Afghanistan’s population urgently needs humanitarian assistance. “So far, no foreign governments have provided support for rescue or relief work,” Afghanistan’s foreign office said.

China has expressed readiness to provide relief “within its capacity,” while UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN mission in Afghanistan is preparing to deliver assistance.

A Disaster-Prone Region

Afghanistan, located along the Hindu Kush fault line where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet, is prone to deadly earthquakes. A 6.1-magnitude quake in 2022 killed over 1,000 people in the east, while another struck the western city of Herat less than two years ago, leaving many still in temporary shelters