Rescue operations slowed by landslides and shattered infrastructure
A strong magnitude-6 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, killing upwards of 800 people and wounding roughly 2,500, according to Taliban authorities. Efforts to reach isolated mountain settlements have been hindered by collapsed roads and unstable terrain.
The tremor, which hit near the Pakistan frontier, caused the worst devastation in Kunar province. Shallow quakes are typically more destructive, and this one was no exception, with shocks felt as far away as Kabul, over 100 miles distant. Aftershocks shook the region through Monday morning.
Hospitals overwhelmed as casualties mount
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said fatalities climbed rapidly throughout Monday, with many still trapped beneath destroyed homes. Medical centers in Asadabad and elsewhere struggled under the influx of patients.
For some, the tragedy is deeply personal. Rasheed Khan, a cloth trader from Kabul whose family lived in Watpur, Kunar, said he lost his wife, three children, and two brothers. “I can’t say how many of my relatives are still under the ruins,” he said.
Strained relief efforts
The defence ministry deployed doctors and emergency supplies to Kunar, but access routes remain blocked, forcing calls for international assistance. Officials appealed for mobile clinics, shelters, food, clean water, and heavy equipment to clear debris.
Afghanistan’s health services, weakened after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, are poorly equipped for large-scale disasters. Jeremy Smith of the Red Cross said the region’s remoteness, combined with persistent aftershocks, makes operations perilous.
Entire communities flattened
Villages built largely of mud and stone have been reduced to rubble. In Masood, nearly every household has suffered fatalities, and rescuers believe as many as 250 people may have died there alone. Neighboring Laghman and Nuristan provinces also reported casualties, though full assessments remain incomplete.
Muhammad Aziz, a laborer from Nur Gul district, lost ten relatives, including his children. “Every home has collapsed. People are clawing through the wreckage with their bare hands,” he said.
Global aid pledges
China has said it is ready to provide relief, while India has already delivered tents and food supplies. The UN mission is preparing support, and Pope Leo expressed sorrow for those killed.
The quake adds to Afghanistan’s dire humanitarian crisis. The economy is in freefall, hospitals face chronic shortages, and millions of refugees have recently returned from Pakistan and Iran. The UN estimates more than half the nation’s 42 million people rely on aid.
Afghanistan sits on active fault lines in the Hindu Kush range, leaving it highly vulnerable to seismic disasters. Last year, quakes in the west killed over 1,000 people, while in October 2023, a 6.3-magnitude tremor claimed thousands of lives, one of the deadliest events in decades.
