A devastating earthquake hit Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan on Sunday, near the Pakistan border. The 6.0-magnitude quake, whose epicenter was located in Kama district, caused widespread destruction and loss of life. According to preliminary reports, at least 800 people have been killed and more than 2,800 injured across four provinces: Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, and Nuristan.
Casualty figures are expected to rise as search and rescue teams reach the affected areas. Houses and infrastructure have sustained massive and widespread damage, and access roads are damaged or blocked. Immediate humanitarian needs include medical assistance, shelter, food, and drinking water.
The earthquake struck Kunar Province shortly before midnight local time (23:47) on August 31, 2025, when most families were asleep. According to humanitarian organizations operating in the area, children described being woken in terror as their homes collapsed around them and their families fled in panic to find safety. Multiple aftershocks continued throughout the night.
The earthquake's hypocenter was estimated to be only 8 to 10 kilometers beneath the surface, which exacerbated the quake's impact. The aftershocks have affected neighboring provinces and caused additional damage.
The Taliban, the de facto authorities, launched an immediate response, deploying heavy machinery to remove road blockages and launching medical evacuation operations for critical cases.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred as the result of thrust faulting in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, near the city of Jalalabad. More than 200,000 people were exposed to very strong shaking, and about 1 million were exposed to strong shaking, primarily in the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman.
Initial figures indicate that up to 12,000 people have been directly affected. The districts of Chawkay and Nurgal in Kunar Province, as well as the Dara-e-Nur district in Nangarhar Province, have been hit hardest. Other affected districts include Chapa Dara, Dara-e-Pech, and Watapur in Kunar Province; Alingar, Mehtarlam, and Qarghayi in Laghman Province; and Jalalabad City, Behsud, and Kuz Kunar in Nangarhar Province.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) has deployed emergency teams to provide support, deliver immediate relief, and conduct aerial and field assessments. Ambulances are transporting the injured to overburdened medical facilities, including the Nangarhar Regional Specialist Hospital, which currently has no remaining capacity.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), humanitarian agencies are working with de facto authorities, including the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), local health facilities, and the Kunar provincial governor.
Twenty emergency assessment teams have been deployed to affected areas thus far, with five more on standby. Challenging topographical conditions and the remote nature of the affected areas are hindering response efforts.
Humanitarian aid agencies are seeking ways to mobilize additional air assets. While some road segments have reportedly reopened, several isolated communities, including those in Dewagal Valley in Chawkay district and Mazar Valley in Nurgal district in Kunar Province, can only be reached on foot. Currently, it takes up to three hours to travel from the point of obstruction to these communities.
OCHA reports that immediate priority needs include emergency shelter, non-food items such as blankets and cooking sets, critical medical supplies, drinking water, and emergency food assistance.
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan and its surrounding regions due to the complex and active interactions between the Arabian, Eurasian, and Indian tectonic plates. Seismic activity in western and central Afghanistan is primarily influenced by the northward movement of the Arabian Plate relative to the Eurasian Plate.
In contrast, eastern Afghanistan lies within the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian plates, where intense compressional forces generate frequent, deep-focus earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush region.
Afghanistan is experiencing one of the world's largest and most overlooked humanitarian crises
In recent years, Afghanistan has experienced prolonged conflict and frequent natural disasters, including flooding, drought, and earthquakes. In October 2023, a series of powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan killed more than 1,500 people.
Sunday's disaster comes as people in Afghanistan are already struggling to cope with widespread drought and the impact of massive global cuts to humanitarian aid,, which have resulted in the closure of essential services, such as health facilities and nutrition centers.
The country is currently facing a severe drought-related crisis that is disrupting agricultural and pastoral livelihoods across half of its provinces. The north, northwestern, and northeastern regions are among the hardest hit, and worsening conditions are spreading.
Afghanistan is among the ten countries most impacted by climate change worldwide. Droughts, floods, increased temperatures, and extreme heat impact people living in rural areas by reducing their livelihoods and threaten those living in urban areas as well.
Additionally, basic services in the country are overwhelmed by the massive influx of Afghan returnees forced to leave Iran and Pakistan — over 2.4 million have returned since the beginning of the year.
With millions of Afghans forced to return from neighboring countries and the global humanitarian funding crisis taking a heavy toll on the country, the prospect of an even deeper humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan looms large.
Even before the influx of returnees, nearly half of Afghanistan's population — 22.9 million people, including 12.3 million children — required humanitarian assistance. Millions of Afghans continue to struggle to survive amid one of the world's largest and most overlooked humanitarian crises.
Sherine Ibrahim, the Afghanistan director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said in a statement on Monday that the humanitarian organization is profoundly fearful of the additional strain that the earthquake will have on the overall humanitarian response in Afghanistan.
“Global funding cuts have dramatically hampered our ability to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. It is high time that the international community recognizes the immense need in the country and steps up support for Afghans who are in critical need,” she said.
Donation opportunities
- UN Crisis Relief: Afghanistan earthquake
https://crisisrelief.un.org/en/afghanistan - UN Crisis Relief: Afghanistan crisis
https://crisisrelief.un.org/afghanistan-crisis - UNHCR: Afghanistan earthquake
https://donate.unhcr.org/asia/en-as/afghanistan-situation - UNHCR: Afghanistan emergency
https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/give-afghanistan-forcedreturns - International Committee of the Red Cross: Earthquake in Afghanistan
https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/urgent-earthquake-afghanistan - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Afghanistan: Earthquake 2025
https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ifrc/afghanistan-earthquake/~my-donation?_cv=1 - World Food Programme: Afghanistan emergency
https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/afghanistan-emergency - Islamic Relief: Afghanistan earthquake
https://islamic-relief.org/appeals/afghanistan-earthquake-appeal/ - Concern Worldwide
https://www.concern.net/donate/afghanistan-earthquake-appeal