Afghanistan earthquake death toll crosses 800

One of Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes in recent years has claimed the lives of more than 800 people and left at least 2,800 injured, authorities reported on Monday.

The 6.0-magnitude quake struck around midnight at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), causing widespread destruction across the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar.

Rescue efforts are underway as Taliban soldiers and civilians work together to retrieve survivors from the rubble of collapsed mudbrick homes scattered across mountainous areas near the Pakistani border.

The remote regions, already difficult to access, have been further cut off due to damaged infrastructure and disrupted mobile networks.

Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Health Ministry, urgently appealed for international assistance:

“We need it because here lots of people lost their lives and houses,” he told Reuters.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed 812 fatalities, with 610 in Kunar and 12 in Nangarhar. At least three villages in Kunar were completely razed, and many others suffered severe damage.

Footage from Reuters showed military helicopters transporting the injured to hospitals as residents helped medics and rescue teams carry victims to ambulances.

According to the defence ministry, 40 flights have so far transported 420 injured and deceased individuals out of the disaster zone.

The quake poses a major challenge for the Taliban administration, which is already grappling with multiple humanitarian crises—including a sharp decline in foreign aid and the forced repatriation of Afghan refugees by neighboring countries.

Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban has seen a significant reduction in international funding. Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has shrunk to just $767 million in 2025, down from $3.8 billion in 2022.

The latest tragedy marks the third major earthquake since the Taliban assumed control, further straining already fragile relief and recovery systems.