More than 600 people have been confirmed dead after multiple earthquakes struck Eastern Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border.
At least 1,500 were injured according to Afghanistan's interior ministry after the first quake, measured at magnitude 6.3, struck Kunar Province and Jalalabad city. Rescue efforts are underway, according to Afghanistan's TOLO news agency. Hundreds of injured were taken to the the regional hospital in Kunar.
The Kunar disaster management authority said that the people were most affected in the districts of Nur, Gul Watpur, Manogi, and Chapadare.
The official death toll currently stands at 622, according to the interior ministry, Reuters reported.
The Afghan Red Crescent also reported that its medical team is providing emergency assistance to the affected areas.
#Kunar:
— Afghan Red Crescent | افغاني سره میاشت (@ARCSAfghanistan) September 1, 2025
A powerful #earthquake struck late last night in various areas of Nurgal district, Kunar province, causing both human casualties and significant financial losses to local communities.
In the immediate aftermath, officials from the #ARCS, along with medical teams, rushed… pic.twitter.com/dolNY2N6dp
The defence ministry of the country has flown about 30 doctors and 800 kilograms of medicine into Kunar to support the local hospitals.
The earthquake struck about 27 kilometres east of Jalalabad, a crowded trade city with a population of 300,000. The first quake struck only at a depth of around 8 km, making it a very shallow quake, which can be extremely destructive, especially to cities. Shallow quakes are said to occur at depths less than 70 km.
The intensity of the earthquake was strong in #Kunar #Afghanistan. They will need urgent help. pic.twitter.com/JJM6s3ZGbK
— Khalyla Harito (@KhalylaHarito) August 31, 2025
After a while, another quake, recorded at a magnitude 4.5 struck at a depth of 140 km near Basawal not far from the first one.
The Kunar province also suffered significant damage due to the fact that it was already flooded by rain last week.
As reports of deaths and injuries from the #earthquake in eastern region of #Afghanistan continue to emerge, @WHOAfghanistan teams are on the ground in hospitals and health facilities, supporting the treatment of the wounded and assessing urgent health needs.
— WHO Afghanistan (@WHOAfghanistan) September 1, 2025
We are actively… pic.twitter.com/ylplNzcN27
The WHO Afghanistan said that their teams were on the ground in the hospitals treating the injured. Secratary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres said on X, "The UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas."
The quake was also felt in parts of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes as its Hindu Kush mountains sit at the meeting of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
The last deadly earthquake in the country was in 2023. About 2000 people were killed after a magnitude 6.3 quake struck the western province of Herat.
