Powerful Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan, 622 Dead and Over 1,500 Injured

Light House Denver – The death toll from a powerful magnitude 6.0 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has tragically risen to 622 people. A spokesperson from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior told AFP on Monday (September 1, 2025) that the earthquake injured more than 1,500 people.

“In the quake that struck just before midnight on Sunday, 610 people were killed and 1,300 injured in Kunar Province, with many homes destroyed,” explained spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani.

He added that in Nangarhar Province, at least 12 people were killed and 255 others wounded. Photos released by AFP showed injured children receiving treatment in local hospitals, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation.

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Tremors Felt in Neighboring Countries

The tremors were felt as far as Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, about 370 kilometers away, lasting several seconds. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter was located at a depth of eight kilometers, classified as shallow, about 27 kilometers from Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province.

Shallow earthquakes typically cause greater destruction than deeper ones since their energy is released closer to the Earth’s surface. Many residents reported panicking and rushing out of their homes during the shaking.

Aftershocks and Compounding Disasters

A series of aftershocks shook the region throughout the night, including a magnitude 5.2 quake that struck shortly after 4:00 a.m. local time. The repeated tremors left residents increasingly anxious about further damage.

Earthquakes frequently strike Afghanistan. They occur most often in the mountainous Hindu Kush region where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet. Adding to the tragedy, Nangarhar Province had just been hit by flooding from Friday to Saturday night, killing five people and destroying crops and property.

A History of Devastating Quakes

Last year, a powerful quake struck Herat Province, killing more than 1,500 people. The United Nations, the European Union, and the Asian Development Bank conducted a joint assessment of the disaster. They concluded that it damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes.

Afghanistan, ravaged by more than four decades of conflict, is now facing a worsening humanitarian crisis. Since the Taliban regained power, foreign aid has dropped sharply, weakening the country’s ability to respond to major disasters.

In 2015, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan killed more than 380 people, most of them in Pakistan. During that tragedy, 12 Afghan schoolgirls were trampled to death while trying to escape their shaking school building.

Humanitarian Challenges Ahead

The latest earthquake once again underscores Afghanistan’s fragile infrastructure and limited emergency services. Thousands of people have been left homeless, while rescue teams are struggling with poor logistics and damaged roads. The disaster places an even heavier burden on an already vulnerable nation, intensifying the urgent need for international humanitarian assistance.

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