What we know so far…
Here is a summary from Afghanistan, where hundreds of people have been killed after an earthquake struck the country’s mountainous eastern region late last night. This is what we know so far:
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At least 622 people have been killed and more than 1,500 others injured in the earthquake, Afghanistan’s Taliban-run interior ministry said on Monday morning.
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The earthquake struck the rugged province of Kunar at 11.47pm on Sunday and was centred 27km north-east of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said.
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Jalalabad is about 119km (74 miles) away from the capital city, Kabul. A 4.5 magnitude quake occurred 20 minutes later in the same province.
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The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said deaths and injuries had been reported in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
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The earthquake reportedly shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
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Rescuers rushed to reach remote areas in the country’s eastern provinces in the aftermath of the earthquake but limited communications and the region’s narrow mountain roads have complicated rescue efforts.
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Officials from the Taliban-run government have asked for aid from international organisations.
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Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Key events
As we mentioned in the summary post (see 07.28), Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Afghanistan has a number of fault lines and frequent movement among three nearby tectonic plates.
A series of earthquakes in its west killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest countries to natural disasters.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on 7 October 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people died.
The UN gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
Vast majority of deaths are in Kunar region, Taliban interior ministry says
Rescuers are operating across Afghanistan’s east, with helicopters helping bring the injured to safety, while rubble is combed through in the hunt for survivors.
The Taliban interior ministry has said in a statement that the vast majority of deaths occurred in the Kunar region (610), with a further 12 deaths in Nangarhar.
The disaster will further stretch the resources of the south Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises and a sharp drop in aid.
In a post on X, the UN Afghanistan account wrote:
The UN in Afghanistan is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the eastern region & claimed hundreds of lives, injuring many more.
Our teams are on the ground, delivering emergency assistance & lifesaving support. Our thoughts are with the affected communities.
The Afghan Red Crescent said its officials and medical teams have “rushed to the affected areas” of the earthquake and are “providing emergency assistance to impacted families”.
#Kunar:
A powerful #earthquake struck late last night in various areas of Nurgal district, Kunar province, causing both human casualties and significant financial losses to local communities.
In the immediate aftermath, officials from the #ARCS, along with medical teams, rushed… pic.twitter.com/dolNY2N6dp— Afghan Red Crescent | افغاني سره میاشت (@ARCSAfghanistan) September 1, 2025
What we know so far…
Here is a summary from Afghanistan, where hundreds of people have been killed after an earthquake struck the country’s mountainous eastern region late last night. This is what we know so far:
-
At least 622 people have been killed and more than 1,500 others injured in the earthquake, Afghanistan’s Taliban-run interior ministry said on Monday morning.
-
The earthquake struck the rugged province of Kunar at 11.47pm on Sunday and was centred 27km north-east of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said.
-
Jalalabad is about 119km (74 miles) away from the capital city, Kabul. A 4.5 magnitude quake occurred 20 minutes later in the same province.
-
The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said deaths and injuries had been reported in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
-
The earthquake reportedly shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
-
Rescuers rushed to reach remote areas in the country’s eastern provinces in the aftermath of the earthquake but limited communications and the region’s narrow mountain roads have complicated rescue efforts.
-
Officials from the Taliban-run government have asked for aid from international organisations.
-
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
More than 600 killed in Afghanistan earthquake, Taliban interior ministry says
The death toll from the earthquake in Afghanistan has now risen to 622, Reuters has cited an Afghan interior ministry spokesperson as having said.
Authorities said that more than 1,500 people were injured by the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan just before midnight local time on Sunday.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health has said several villages in Kunar province have been “completely destroyed”, adding that rescue operations are underway there.
The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area.”
He said many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that “the numbers were expected to change” as death and injuries are reported.
The quake struck the province of Kunar at 11.47pm on Sunday and was centred 27km north-east of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said.
A 4.5 magnitude quake occurred 20 minutes later in the same province.
Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity with neighboring Pakistan and a key border crossing between the countries. Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, it’s metropolitan area is thought to be far larger. Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, and its outlying areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood. Many are of poor construction.
Jalalabad also has considerable agriculture and farming, including citrus fruit and rice, with the Kabul River flowing through the city.
Rescuers were working in several districts of the mountainous province where the quake hit, levelling homes of mud and stone on the border with Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, officials said.
6.0 magnitude earthquake leaves hundreds dead, state media reports
An earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border has killed hundreds and left more than a thousand injured, the country’s state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) reported, with fears that many more could be among the dead.
The quake late Sunday hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangahar province. The 6.0 magnitude was just 8km deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that at least 250 people were killed and 500 others injured in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
Taliban-led health authorities in Kabul, however, said they were still confirming the official toll figure as they worked to reach remote areas.
We’ll bring you more updates as they arrive.
