The death toll from Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in years has risen to more than 1,400, with thousands injured and widespread destruction reported in the country’s mountainous eastern provinces.
According to Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, at least 1,411 people have been confirmed dead, 3,124 injured, and more than 5,400 homes destroyed.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society warned that many victims may still be trapped under the rubble. The United Nations coordinator in Afghanistan also cautioned that the toll is likely to climb further.
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck just after midnight on Monday at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), hitting hardest in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar. Rescue operations initially focused on four badly affected villages in Kunar, with authorities now shifting efforts to reach more remote mountain settlements.
Ehsanullah Ehsan, head of provincial disaster management in Kunar, said teams are working to recover bodies and provide emergency assistance. “We cannot say how many people remain under the rubble, but our goal is to finish search operations quickly and deliver aid to affected families,” he said.
Difficult terrain and poor weather conditions have slowed rescue efforts, particularly in areas along the Pakistani border where hundreds of mud-and-brick homes collapsed. Narrow mountain roads blocked by debris have restricted access, though heavy machinery is being deployed to clear routes.
On Tuesday, convoys of ambulances attempted to reach cut-off villages in Kunar, while helicopters delivered emergency supplies and evacuated the injured to hospitals, according to eyewitnesses.
Afghanistan sits on a seismic hotspot, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, making it highly vulnerable to deadly earthquakes.
