KUNAR (AFGHANISTAN): At least 250 people were killed and more than 500 injured when a powerful earthquake of magnitude 6 struck eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday night. The tremor, centred in Kunar province near the Pakistan border, struck at 11.47pm and reduced mud and stone houses to rubble across several districts.
Quake details and aftershocks
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre was located 27 km north-east of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, at a shallow depth of just 8 km. Shallow quakes tend to cause more severe damage.
Just 20 minutes later, a second tremor measuring 4.5 magnitude was reported in the same province, adding to panic among residents.
Casualties and rescue efforts
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry, said the toll was expected to rise as rescue teams struggled to reach remote mountainous areas. “The number of casualties and injuries is high but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” he said.
The disaster management authority in Kunar confirmed that 250 deaths and 500 injuries were reported from Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare districts. In neighbouring Nangarhar province, officials reported at least nine deaths.
Hundreds of injured have been taken to hospitals, provincial information head Najibullah Hanif said. However, the full extent of the destruction remains unclear.
Jalalabad’s vulnerability
Jalalabad, a bustling trade hub near Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, has a population of about 300,000, with many more living in its wider metropolitan area. While central areas have concrete and brick structures, surrounding villages rely heavily on mud-brick and wooden houses, which collapsed under the tremors.
The region’s agriculture — including citrus farming and rice cultivation along the Kabul River — has also suffered damage, locals reported.
Afghanistan’s history of deadly quakes
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes as it lies along the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
In October 2023, a series of earthquakes measuring 6.3 magnitude devastated western Afghanistan, killing thousands. The Taliban government had estimated 4,000 deaths, while the UN placed the toll closer to 1,500. That tragedy underscored the fragile infrastructure and poor disaster preparedness in one of the world’s poorest nations.
With the latest quake, authorities and humanitarian organisations fear a mounting toll as winter approaches, leaving survivors vulnerable to further hardship.