800 killed after strong earthquake hits Afghanistan
The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 8 kilometres (6 miles) and struck the region at 11:47 p.m. local time (9:17 p.m. CET), according to USGS.
Hundreds of people have been killed in eastern Afghanistan after a magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck late Sunday night near the Pakistan border.
At least 800 people have died and 2,500 others were injured by the tremor, the Taliban government said Monday.
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Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed that the vast majority of the deaths reported so far were in Kunar province.
In the neighbouring province of Nangarhar, at least 12 people were killed and 255 others were injured, Qani said.
The earthquake's epicentre was near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Jalalabad is about 119 kilometres (74 miles) away from the capital city, Kabul.
The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 8 kilometres (6 miles) and struck the region at 11:47 p.m. local time (9:17 p.m. CET), according to USGS.
Shallower earthquakes usually cause more damage.
I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 1, 2025
I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized…
A second earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 followed roughly 20 minutes later in the same province. This was later followed by a magnitude-5.2 quake.
"Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted to X, adding there were deaths and structural and financial damage in some of the eastern provinces.
He said support teams from Kabul and nearby provinces were on their way to sites damaged in the powerful quake.
In the face of the calamity, many Afghans rushed to Nangarhar Regional Hospital and donation centres elsewhere to give the much-needed blood for the wounded.
In the capital, Kabul, long queues formed outside medical facilities, where doctors appealed for urgent supplies to treat the influx of injured.
The head of Nangarhar Blood Bank, Dr Noorzad Khan, said that, so far, young people have donated approximately 250 packets of blood to the earthquake victims.
In October 2023, more than 2,000 people were killed after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the country.
The 2023 earthquake is considered the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country in recent memory.
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