Last Updated on September 1, 2025 by Nyayik Vigyan
Afghanistan Earthquake Today
Over 800 killed, thousands hurt as powerful tremors jolt Kabul, Jalalabad and Islamabad
KABUL: At least 800 people lost their lives and thousands were injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan earthquake late Monday night, sending shockwaves across the region. Tremors were felt in several Afghan districts, including Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare, as well as in neighboring Pakistan.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the 6.8-magnitude quake hit around 11:47 pm local time (1917 GMT), about 27 km east-northeast of Jalalabad, a city of nearly 200,000 residents. The Afghanistan earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 8–10 km and was followed by at least three aftershocks, intensifying the panic.
Provincial officials reported that Kunar was the worst-hit area, with dozens of villages reduced to rubble. “The number of casualties is high, and rescue teams are still struggling to reach remote communities,” Afghanistan’s health minister Sharafat Zaman told local media. In Nangarhar province, nine deaths were confirmed, while hundreds more were rushed to hospitals.
Najibullah Hanif, the provincial information head in Kunar, said medical facilities are overwhelmed as survivors arrive with crush injuries, fractures, and trauma. “The death toll will likely rise as reports keep coming from mountainous regions where access is limited,” he added.
Rescuers are working round the clock to pull survivors from collapsed mud-brick and stone homes that line the Afghan-Pakistani border. Local officials confirmed that several children were killed when the roofs of their houses caved in.
Witnesses said buildings shook violently for several seconds in Jalalabad and nearby towns. Residents in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad—nearly 370 km away—also reported strong tremors that forced people out of their homes in the middle of the night.
Afghanistan’s seismic risk
Afghanistan sits at the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, making it one of the world’s most earthquake-prone regions. The Hindu Kush mountain belt frequently experiences strong seismic activity, and experts warn that fragile housing in rural Afghanistan earthquake increases the devastation.
Repeated disasters have crippled reconstruction efforts in the war-torn nation. With hospitals under pressure and many rural areas still cut off, the full scale of Monday’s tragedy is yet to be known.
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