AFGHANISTAN (Republicpk.com) — A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, killing more than 800 people and injuring over 2,500, according to official sources. The epicenter was near the Pakistan border, with tremors felt across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Islamabad, Peshawar, Murree, and Abbottabad.
The US Geological Survey reported the quake’s depth at just eight kilometers, intensifying its destructive impact. Multiple aftershocks between 4.5 and 5.2 magnitudes followed, triggering landslides and flash floods in the mountainous regions of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior confirmed widespread devastation, particularly in Kunar and Nangarhar, where hundreds of homes have collapsed. Rescue operations are being hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain, while Afghan authorities have urgently appealed to the international community for humanitarian assistance.
According to BBC Afghan, four helicopters carrying medical teams have reached the Mazar Valley in Kunar, one of the worst-hit areas, where access roads remain impassable. Patients with critical injuries are being airlifted to Kabul and nearby hospitals.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the earthquake has also affected Laghman and Nuristan provinces. Reports indicate 2,500 people injured in Kunar, 58 in Laghman, and four in Nuristan. “The priority is not to remove bodies from the rubble but to reach the injured,” Mujahid said.
With limited resources and rising casualties, both Afghanistan and Pakistan face a growing humanitarian crisis in one of South Asia’s most vulnerable seismic zones.