Eastern Afghanistan has been rocked by a devastating series of earthquakes, with the initial 6.0-magnitude tremor striking late on August 31, 2025, and a powerful aftershock soon following. The impact has been catastrophic: at least 1,400 people have lost their lives, and more than 3,100 have been injured, according to local authorities cited by Islamic Relief and the Associated Press. The worst-hit areas include the Chawkay and Nurgal districts of Kunar province and the Dara-e-Nur district in neighboring Nangarhar province, where entire villages have been flattened, leaving thousands displaced and scrambling for the most basic necessities.
As the dust settled in the mountainous and remote east, the scale of the destruction became painfully clear. Rescue teams—both local and international—have faced enormous challenges. Rockfalls, landslides, and blocked roads have hampered efforts to reach survivors, especially in Kunar, the province most severely affected. Some aid workers have had to walk for hours over steep, treacherous terrain to deliver food, medicine, and other critical supplies, according to Associated Press reports. The logistical nightmare was compounded by a second tremor, measured between 5.2 and 5.5 in magnitude, which struck Mazar Canyon in Nurgal, deepening the crisis in an already hard-to-reach region.
The situation on the ground is dire. In Chawkay and Nurgal, 88% of health facilities are now non-functional, and a staggering 95% of residents lack safe drinking water, according to Islamic Relief. Survivors are left exposed, many sleeping in the open and enduring repeated aftershocks as they await help. The immediate needs are overwhelming: emergency shelter, clean water, food, and urgent medical care top the list. The priorities, as outlined by U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, include shelter, medical supplies, drinking water, food, and sanitation.
Islamic Relief’s emergency teams were among the first on the scene, establishing two emergency health centers stocked with essential medicines in the villages of Diwagal (Chawkay) and Mazar (Nurgal) within hours of the earthquake. Each health center is supported by two ambulances to transport the injured, and 950 hygiene kits have been distributed to help reduce disease risks. The organization is also preparing to provide cash assistance in areas where local markets are still operating, aiming to empower survivors to meet their immediate needs directly.
Despite the swift response from some organizations, the overall humanitarian effort has been hampered by a dramatic drop in international funding to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. According to the Associated Press, only 28% of the humanitarian funding target for Afghanistan has been met in 2025—a shortfall that is now acutely felt in the wake of this disaster. Local resources have been stretched to the breaking point, and the lack of money is limiting both the scale and speed of the earthquake response.
Thamindri De Silva, national director of World Vision Afghanistan, painted a grim picture of the country’s predicament: “Afghans are weary of this never-ending crisis upon crisis, which they have to meet with dwindling external help and their own often desperate efforts.” She added, “International governments are queasy about investing in the longer-term solutions that can address the drivers of crises, such as the lack of preparedness, rural health care, and fragile infrastructure that made the impacts of these earthquakes so devastating.” World Vision has now launched a private fundraising campaign to try to fill the gap.
Still, a handful of countries have stepped forward with direct aid in recent days. The United Kingdom has pledged 1 million pounds (approximately $1.3 million), earmarked for aid organizations and not the Taliban government, which the U.K. does not recognize. South Korea announced on September 3 that it would provide $1 million through the United Nations, while Australia pledged another $1 million a day later, working with established partners to ensure that support reaches those in need and bypasses the Taliban authorities. Additionally, $11 million is being released through U.N. and European Union funds, and development agencies are channeling money through nongovernmental organizations and charities.
Some governments have opted to send assistance in kind. India is providing tents and food, while the United Arab Emirates has dispatched a rescue team and essential relief supplies. However, many traditional donor countries have yet to come forward, despite urgent calls from aid agencies. The United States, once Afghanistan’s largest humanitarian funder, sharply reduced its support earlier this year, a move that has left a significant void.
Jacopo Caridi, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, emphasized that the earthquake is far from a stand-alone disaster: “It hit communities that were already struggling with displacement, food insecurity, drought, and the return of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries. Our teams in Kunar report that families are sleeping in the open, enduring repeated aftershocks.”
On top of the immediate devastation, the United Nations reported on September 3 that over 25 square kilometers (about 10 square miles) of the earthquake-affected land is contaminated by mines and explosive ordnance—a grim legacy of years of conflict that further complicates rescue and recovery efforts. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric acknowledged the immense challenges: “Assessments of the quake’s impact and response efforts have been very challenging because of blocked roads, but the distribution of food and shelter materials and health assistance has started. The needs remain immense, and we call on all those who are able to provide support for the earthquake response to do so.”
Meanwhile, local communities have shown remarkable resilience. People from surrounding areas have rushed in to help, sometimes risking their own safety to rescue neighbors and strangers alike. But as the days pass and the scale of the tragedy becomes clearer, the urgency for more international support grows ever more acute. Aid agencies warn that without a rapid infusion of funds and supplies, the humanitarian crisis in eastern Afghanistan could deepen even further, with the risk of disease outbreaks and long-term displacement looming large.
For now, the battered districts of Kunar and Nangarhar are left to pick up the pieces, relying on the determination of local responders, the generosity of a handful of international donors, and the hope that the world will not look away as Afghanistan faces yet another devastating blow.