Devastating Earthquake Hits Afghanistan: Overview and Impacts

Wed Oct 22 2025 14:06:55 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck eastern Afghanistan, resulting in widespread damage and casualties. Efforts to assess the impact are hampered by difficult terrain and limited communication. Immediate humanitarian aid is critical as the situation unfolds.

Afghanistan's eastern region was rattled by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake leading to hundreds of casualties and extensive destruction. The quake, with its epicenter near Jalalabad, occurred at a shallow depth and was followed by significant aftershocks. The mountainous and isolated terrain complicates rescue operations and detailed assessments of damage. As the Taliban governs the country, the humanitarian crisis deepens amid ongoing economic collapse and limited international aid.

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake has struck Afghanistan's mountainous eastern region, with authorities reporting hundreds of fatalities. The quake hit at 23:47 local time on Sunday (19:17 GMT), with its epicenter located 27km (17 miles) from Jalalabad, the country's fifth-largest city, in eastern Nangarhar province. It was recorded at a shallow depth of 8km, and felt as far away as the capital city of Kabul and neighboring Pakistan. The initial quake was succeeded by multiple large aftershocks, further leading to casualties and damage.

Initial reports suggest significant casualties and damage across Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, where access is notably challenging due to mountainous terrain, hampering rescue and relief efforts. The Taliban's interior ministry has stated that over 600 individuals are feared dead, although a precise death toll is yet to be determined. Landslides caused by the quake have blocked access routes, prompting the use of helicopters for rescues.

The international community has been approached for aid, as large segments of the population are affected, with UNICEF noting that hundreds of homes are likely destroyed. This catastrophe follows a weekend of devastating flash floods that had already resulted in fatalities and further exacerbated the region's vulnerable infrastructure.

The complexity of accessing remote areas hinders timely updates on the true extent of the disaster. Afghanistan experiences recurrent earthquakes due to its position on fault lines, making the consequences of seismic events particularly severe in such areas. Prior earthquakes have significantly increased casualty figures once rescuers accessed the affected regions. Complicating the current crisis, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has been dire, worsened by economic collapse and the suspension of foreign aid following the Taliban's takeover in August 2021.

With Afghanistan's financial assets frozen and international aid diminished, the country is ill-prepared to address the immediate humanitarian crisis triggered by this recent earthquake. Most medical facilities are overwhelmed, further emphasizing the importance of international assistance as the situation develops.

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