Afghanistan Earthquake Kills 800, Injures Thousands As Taliban Plead for Global Aid

Authorities said the 6.0-magnitude quake struck late Sunday near Jalalabad, devastating Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. At least 610 people were killed in Kunar and 12 in Nangarhar, with more deaths feared as rescue teams push into isolated areas.

“We need it because here lots of people lost their lives and houses,” health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman told Reuters.

Residents described scenes of panic and destruction. “We spent the whole night in fear and anxiety because at any moment another earthquake could happen,” said Ziaul Haq Mohammadi, a student in Jalalabad. Survivors in Nurgal district reported children and elders trapped under collapsed mudbrick homes.

Rescuers face heavy rain, landslides and blocked roads that have cut off entire communities along the Pakistani border. “The risk of landslides and rock slides is also quite significant – that is why many of the roads are impassable,” said Kate Carey of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Helicopters have been deployed to evacuate the wounded, while military teams reported conducting 40 flights to carry casualties.

The quake leveled three villages in Kunar and damaged many others. Images showed residents digging through debris by hand and carrying the injured on makeshift stretchers. “We need ambulances, we need doctors, we need everything to rescue the injured and recover the dead,” one survivor said.

This is Afghanistan’s third major quake since the Taliban seized power in 2021. International funding has shrunk sharply since then, with humanitarian aid dropping from $3.8 billion in 2022 to $767 million this year. Officials warn the cuts have crippled the ability of relief groups to respond.

“So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday. China later said it was ready to provide assistance, while India delivered tents and food supplies. The United States extended condolences but did not announce aid.

The UK pledged £1 million ($1.3 million) for emergency relief, split between the UN Population Fund and the International Red Cross. “The UK remains grateful to the aid workers on the ground,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

Afghanistan is highly prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush region where tectonic plates meet. A 6.1-magnitude quake in 2022 killed 1,000 people.

The Taliban has appealed for urgent international aid, warning that the disaster will deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, already compounded by poverty, drought, conflict and aid cuts.