A powerful and shallow magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, causing widespread destruction and killing more than 800 people. The quake, which occurred at 11:47 PM local time on august 31, 2025, has left an estimated 2,500 people injured, with rescue efforts hampered by landslides and difficult terrain.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located near the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, close to the border with Pakistan. The most severe impact was reported in the mountainous Kunar province, which has suffered a catastrophic loss of life. Officials report that at least 610 people were killed and 1,300 injured in Kunar alone, where entire villages have been reduced to rubble.

In the neighboring Nangarhar province, authorities have confirmed 12 deaths and 255 injuries. Laghman province also sustained damage, with approximately 80 people injured, at least six of them seriously.

Rescue operations are in a desperate race against time. Local authorities and volunteers are working to dig through the debris in search of survivors. The Afghan Red Crescent Society has dispatched medical teams to provide emergency aid to the wounded. However, efforts are being severely complicated by landslides triggered by the quake, which have blocked critical roads and cut off access to many remote and affected communities.

The situation remains precarious, with multiple aftershocks, including two significant tremors measuring 5.2 in magnitude, shaking the region. These aftershocks have stoked fear among survivors and pose an ongoing risk of further collapses to already damaged structures.

The Taliban government has issued an urgent appeal for international aid to cope with the scale of the disaster, calling on humanitarian organizations to assist in the relief efforts.

Tremors from the earthquake were felt as far away as northern Pakistan and in parts of India, including the capital, Delhi. No significant damage or casualties have been reported outside of Afghanistan.

This event is the latest in a series of deadly earthquakes to hit Afghanistan, a country situated in the seismically active Hindu Kush mountain range where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. The nation has a long and tragic history of seismic events, including a 6.3-magnitude quake in 2023 that also resulted in significant casualties, highlighting the vulnerability of its population to natural disasters.