Over 600 people dead as earthquake strikes Afghanistan
A powerful earthquake rattled eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night, claiming the lives of hundreds and leaving widespread devastation in its wake. The tremor marks the deadliest such disaster to hit the country in over two years, exacerbating an already challenging humanitarian situation.
As of Monday noon, the death toll had tragically climbed to 610, with more than 1,300 individuals reported wounded, according to government spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani. The affected regions primarily include the Kunar province, which shares a border with Pakistan, and its adjacent areas. Strong seismic jolts were also felt across various cities in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, as reported by Pakistan’s broadcaster Geo TV.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake at 11:47 PM local time, registering a magnitude of 6.0. Its epicentre was located approximately 27 kilometres (17 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar, striking at a shallow depth of about 8 kilometres.
Afghanistan is situated on a highly active seismic fault line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, making it one of Asia’s most earthquake-prone nations. Earthquakes frequently devastate the eastern and northeastern parts of the country, where traditional mud-brick homes are particularly vulnerable to collapse. Rescue operations in these rugged terrains are often hampered by challenging geography and underdeveloped infrastructure.
The recent quake has reportedly levelled several villages in Kunar province, where homes constructed from fragile mud-and-stone structures offered little resistance. State-run Radio and Television of Afghanistan reported that landslides triggered by the earthquake have cut off vital roads, further complicating rescue and relief efforts. Damaged communication networks have also contributed to the difficulties faced by emergency responders in reaching affected communities.
This disaster echoes a similar tragedy in October 2023, when a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck western Afghanistan, resulting in approximately 1,500 fatalities and 2,000 injuries, according to United Nations figures.
Zabihullah Mujahed, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, acknowledged the catastrophe on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the quake had caused significant loss of life and property damage in the eastern provinces. He affirmed that rescue operations are currently underway, though the scale of the disaster suggests a prolonged and arduous recovery process.
