As dawn broke over the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan on September 1, 2025, the full scale of devastation from a powerful earthquake began to emerge. The 6.0-magnitude quake, which struck late on August 31, left a swath of destruction across Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, killing at least 800 people and injuring more than 2,500, according to figures released by the Taliban government and corroborated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The epicenter of the quake was located 27 kilometers (17 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad, at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Shallow earthquakes like this tend to be particularly destructive, and this one proved no exception. The tremors were felt across neighboring provinces, in Kabul, and as far away as Islamabad, Pakistan, though no casualties or significant damage were reported outside Afghanistan.
Scenes of chaos and heartbreak unfolded in the hardest-hit villages, especially in the Nurgal district of Kunar. "Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble," a resident told The Associated Press, his voice raw with desperation. "We need help here. We need people to come here and join us. Let us pull out the people who are buried. There is no one who can come and remove dead bodies from under the rubble."
For many survivors, the disaster struck without warning. Sadiqullah, a resident of the Maza Dara area, recounted to The Associated Press how he was jolted awake by what sounded like a massive storm. He managed to rescue three of his children, but as he rushed back for the rest of his family, the house collapsed. "I was half-buried and unable to get out," he recalled from his hospital bed in Nangarhar. "My wife and two sons are dead, and my father is injured and in hospital with me. We were trapped for three to four hours until people from other areas arrived and pulled me out."
The destruction was swift and merciless. Entire villages were flattened, with over 1,000 homes lost, according to the Afghan Red Crescent. The region’s traditional low-rise buildings, made of mud bricks and wood, crumbled easily under the force of the quake. Rescue efforts were hampered by blocked roads and landslides, forcing aid workers to trek for hours on foot to reach remote communities. Helicopters shuttled the injured to hospitals, and dozens of flights operated out of Nangarhar Airport, ferrying victims to safety.
With communications down in many areas, the true scope of the disaster is still coming into focus. OCHA estimates that as many as 12,000 people have been affected by damaged buildings and infrastructure. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s health ministry, warned that casualty figures could rise as more reports come in from isolated villages. "There are some villages where the injured and dead haven’t been recovered from the rubble, so that’s why the numbers may increase," Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told journalists.
International and local aid agencies have sounded the alarm about urgent needs. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called for immediate support, highlighting the need for search and rescue operations, emergency healthcare, medical supplies, food, clean water, and efforts to restore road access. Save the Children’s advocacy director, Samira Sayed Rahman, emphasized the vulnerability of children and families: "Children and their families need urgent support—with the likely destruction of so many homes, they will need food, clean water, shelter and essential household items. The true scale of the devastation is still emerging, but we know that children are always the most vulnerable in the aftermath of a disaster."
The Taliban government, working alongside humanitarian organizations, has deployed medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kabul. However, the mountainous terrain and blocked roads have made coordination difficult, with many survivors spending the night exposed to the elements after their homes were destroyed. As one Taliban official told BBC, there is an urgent need for field hospitals, shelter, food, and clean water.
International support has begun to trickle in, though Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis complicates relief efforts. Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, noted on X (formerly Twitter), "This adds death and destruction to other challenges including drought and the forced return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries. Hopefully the donor community will not hesitate to support relief efforts."
Neighboring countries and global leaders have expressed condolences and offered help. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are ready to extend all possible support in this regard." India’s external affairs minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, also pledged assistance, stating, "India will extend assistance in this hour of need. Our condolences to the families of the victims. And our prayers for early recovery of the injured." Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed these sentiments, calling Afghanistan a "friendly and brotherly nation" and offering humanitarian aid.
Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram expressing his deep sadness at the loss of life, offering prayers and solidarity to the victims and emergency personnel. The Afghanistan Cricket Board, a symbol of national pride, issued a heartfelt statement urging the country’s wealthy and business leaders to aid affected families, calling it a "shared responsibility."
This disaster comes less than a year after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Herat province in October 2023, which killed more than 1,400 people according to the World Health Organization, though Taliban officials placed the toll at over 4,000. The United Nations described the current quake as likely to "dwarf the scale of the humanitarian needs" caused by last year’s disaster, according to the International Rescue Committee.
For Afghanistan, already grappling with economic sanctions, reduced international aid, and ongoing drought, the earthquake is a cruel blow. As the United Nations mission in Afghanistan observed, the country’s vulnerability to natural catastrophes is compounded by limited resources and a fragile infrastructure. The Afghan Red Crescent confirmed not only the tragic loss of life but also "significant financial losses to local communities."
Despite the challenges, the resilience of Afghanistan’s people is on full display. Rescue teams, local volunteers, and aid organizations continue to dig through rubble, provide medical care, and deliver essential supplies. As the sun sets on another day of recovery, the world watches and waits, hoping that help arrives in time for those still trapped and for the communities now facing the long road to rebuilding.