KABUL, Afghanistan: More than 800 people have been killed after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban government spokesperson said on Monday, with most of the deaths reported in remote Kunar province.
The powerful earthquake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was 27 kilometres from the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake struck just before midnight, shaking buildings from capital Kabul to Islamabad in Pakistan.
After the initial quake, a series of at least five aftershocks followed throughout the night, with the strongest being one of magnitude 5.2 just after 4am (2330 GMT on Sunday).
More than 1.2 million people likely felt strong or very strong shaking, according to the USGS.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that some 800 people died and another 2,500 were injured in Kunar. He said that in Nangarhar province, 12 people have died and 255 have been injured.
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qanee said the majority of Afghans live in low-rise, mud-brick homes that are vulnerable to collapse.
The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises.
Some of the most severely impacted villages in remote Kunar provinces “remain inaccessible due to road blockages”, the UN migration agency warned in a statement to AFP.
Afghanistan’s government-run Bakhtar News Agency reported, citing officials from the Disaster Management Department in Kunar, that “the most severely impacted districts include Noor Gul, Chawkay, Watapur, Mano Gai, and Chapa Dara”.
In a devastating earthquake that struck late Sunday, night, nearly 250 people have been reported martyred and over 530 injured across Kunar and Laghman provinces. According to officials from the Disaster Management Department in Kunar, the most severely impacted districts include… pic.twitter.com/Uyl5CjfCTQ
— Bakhtar News Agency (@bnaenglish) September 1, 2025
“All our teams have been mobilised to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided,” ministry spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qanee said, citing efforts in areas from security to food and health.
In Kabul, health authorities said rescuers were racing to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.
The earthquake was Afghanistan’s deadliest since June 2022, when tremors of magnitude-6.1 killed at least 1,000 people.
The quake razed three villages in Kunar, with substantial damage in many others, authorities said. At least 610 people were killed in Kunar, with 12 dead in Nangarhar, they added.
Rescuers were scrambling to find survivors in the area bordering Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where homes of mud and stone were levelled by the midnight quake that hit at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Military rescue teams fanned out across the two provinces, the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that 40 flights carried out 420 wounded and dead.
“So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a foreign office spokesperson said.
Pakistan offers ‘all possible support’
Expressing condolences over the loss of lives, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said: “Deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which shook Kabul & was also felt in various parts of Pakistan”.
“With reports confirming hundreds of precious human lives lost & villages destroyed, our hearts go out to the victims and their families. On behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences & prayers to the bereaved families,” PM Sharif said in a post on X while expressing solidarity with Afghan brothers & sisters in this hour of grief.
PM Sharif further said that Pakistan was “ready to extend all possible support in this regard”.
Deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which shook Kabul & was also felt in various parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad.
With reports confirming hundreds of precious human lives lost & villages destroyed, our hearts go out to the victims and…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 1, 2025
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar extended condolences.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan, I extend our deepest condolences to the brotherly people and Government of Afghanistan for the tragic loss of precious lives caused by the devastating earthquake that struck Eastern Afghanistan last night,” Deputy PM Dar said in a post on X.
“Our hearts go out to the families and communities affected by this calamity. We pray for the swift recovery of those injured and for strength to all those impacted during this difficult time,” Dar added.
On behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan, I extend our deepest condolences to the brotherly people and Government of Afghanistan for the tragic loss of precious lives caused by the devastating earthquake that struck Eastern Afghanistan last night.
Our hearts go out to…
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) September 1, 2025
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed grief over the incident and extended his condolences.
“I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today,” he said.
Delegation of the European Union to Afghanistan posted on X: “The EU extends its heartfelt condolences to all affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Afghanistan’s Kunar & Nangarhar provinces. Our humanitarian partners are actively on the ground, providing critical aid to the victims. We stand in full solidarity with Afghans.”
The #EU 🇪🇺 extends its heartfelt condolences to all affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Afghanistan's #Kunar & #Nangarhar provinces.
Our humanitarian partners are actively on the ground, providing critical aid to the victims.
We stand in full solidarity with Afghans.— EUinAfghanistan (@EUinAfghanistan) September 1, 2025
Deadly earthquakes
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
In October 2023, western Herat province was devastated by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes.
In June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude quake struck the impoverished eastern border province of Paktika, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
Ravaged by four decades of war, Afghanistan is already contending with a series of humanitarian crises.
Since the return of the Taliban, foreign aid to Afghanistan has been slashed, undermining the already impoverished nation’s ability to respond to disasters.
