Southeastern Afghanistan Hit by Deadly Earthquake and Strong Aftershock

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing over 1,400 people and injuring 3,500, destroying 5,000 homes. A 5.5-magnitude aftershock struck Tuesday, raising fears of more damage. Rescue efforts are hampered by rough terrain. The UN and several countries are providing aid, but funding remains insufficient. This is Afghanistan’s third major quake since 2021, worsening its humanitarian crisis.

An earthquake measuring magnitude 5.5 struck southeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending fresh waves of fear through communities still reeling from a devastating quake that struck the same region nearly two days earlier. The initial earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 6.0 on Sunday, had already caused catastrophic destruction, killing more than 1,400 people and injuring thousands, leaving families homeless and villages in ruins. The aftershock on Tuesday intensified concerns among residents and rescue teams that additional lives could be lost and more structures might collapse in an already fragile landscape.

In the affected areas, residents and emergency workers are continuing to search through the rubble of flattened homes and destroyed villages, hoping to find survivors. The ongoing rescue operations are made significantly more difficult by the region’s rugged and mountainous terrain, which limits access to many remote communities. To overcome these challenges, Taliban authorities have resorted to airlifting dozens of commandos to evacuate injured residents from areas where helicopters are unable to land, highlighting the extreme logistical difficulties faced in delivering aid and conducting rescue efforts.

The Taliban government reported that the death toll from Sunday’s earthquake has now exceeded 1,400, with over 3,500 people injured. In addition, more than 5,000 homes have been destroyed, leaving thousands of families without shelter and basic necessities. These numbers reflect only the initial assessments, and officials fear the toll could rise further as more information becomes available from hard-to-reach locations.

The United Nations has pledged to provide urgent assistance, emphasizing that it will “spare no effort to assist people” affected by the disaster. However, UN officials have warned that the level of humanitarian funding currently available is insufficient to meet the scale of the crisis. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, explained during a press briefing on Tuesday that the UN is actively supporting relief efforts by deploying critical supplies to areas that are accessible. “For example, our colleagues at UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, are distributing prepositioned essential relief items from stockpiles in Kabul, including tents, blankets, and solar lamps,” he said, underscoring the immediate measures being taken to help displaced families and those in urgent need.

Several international partners have pledged support for humanitarian efforts, though many are channeling aid in ways that avoid the Taliban government, which they do not officially recognize. The United Kingdom, for instance, has pledged over one million dollars to aid agencies on the ground. Similarly, the European Union announced it will provide a comparable amount of funding and dispatch 130 tons of emergency supplies to assist the affected populations. In addition, other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, India, and China, have committed to offering disaster relief support, demonstrating a collective global response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

This earthquake is the third major seismic event to strike Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021, each compounding the difficulties facing a country already struggling under the weight of political instability, severe cuts to international aid, a fragile economy, and millions of people forcibly returned from neighboring Iran and Pakistan. The latest disaster has placed further strain on an already vulnerable population, amplifying the urgent need for coordinated international relief and assistance.

The Taliban government, which remains recognized only by Russia, has issued an appeal to the international community and humanitarian organizations, requesting immediate assistance to address the aftermath of this catastrophic event. As search and rescue operations continue and relief supplies are distributed, officials and aid workers alike are bracing for the long and difficult process of recovery, as communities cope with the devastating human and material losses inflicted by the twin earthquakes.