Few Survivors Expected as Afghan Earthquake โRelief Efforts Continue
September 3, 2025 – 12:07 – hopesโ are dwindling for finding additional survivors threeโฃ days โขafter a powerful โearthquake struck eastern โAfghanistan, leaving at least 1,400 people dead and over 3,124 injured. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred around midnight on Sunday, followed โby aftershocks โon Tuesday that renewed panic among residents.
The majority of casualties wereโ recorded in the remote, mountainous province of Kunar, with neighboring Nangarharโ and โขLaghman,โ bordering Pakistan, also substantially affected. Landslides are hindering access to isolated communities, with some localitiesโฃ still awaiting assistance, according toโข local official Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad.
Save The children reported that oneโข of its โขteams walked 20 kilometers to reach a townโข cut off by landslides,โ carrying medical supplies.
Afghanistan, already grappling โคwithโข a prolonged humanitarian crisis and theโข return of citizens from Pakistan and Iran, is one of the worldS poorest nations. Decades of conflict โฃhave exacerbated โthe โขsituation. Actionaid stated they are workingโค against the clock, noting that public services areโ strained due to recent โcuts in international aid. The earthquake has impacted villages already โfacing food shortages, with approximately one inโ five inhabitants experiencing hunger.
Taliban authorities โhave not yet announced a โcomprehensive plan for earthquake relief, financial aid, โฃor long-term reconstruction, stating they cannot manageโ the situation alone. The UN has released $5 million fromโค itsโ Worldโฃ Emergency Interventionโข Fund, estimating hundreds of thousands are affected, but the World Health Association (WHO) reports a $3 million shortfall for its emergency response.
Afghanistan frequently experiences earthquakes, notably in theโข Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates converge. A magnitude 6.3 earthquakeโ in the Herat region in 2023 resulted inโ over 1,500 deaths and the destruction ofโข more than 63,000 homes.