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A powerful midnight earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Monday, killing at least 812 people and injuring more than 2,800, officials said, as rescuers raced to reach survivors trapped beneath collapsed mudbrick homes in mountainous terrain.
The magnitude 6 tremor, centered near the border provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), according to authorities. Its force toppled homes, cut mobile networks, and left entire villages flattened.
"This is one of the worst disasters we have seen in years. Families have lost everything," said Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the health ministry, urging international aid. Taliban officials confirmed the deaths of more than 800 people, adding that casualties were likely to rise as rescuers struggled with blocked roads and rain-soaked hillsides prone to landslides.
In Jalalabad, student Ziaul Haq Mohammadi said he was studying when the quake struck. "I tried to stand but was thrown to the ground. We spent the whole night outside in fear of another shock," he told Reuters.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) warned that heavy rains in the last 48 hours had made many roads impassable, hampering relief efforts. Helicopters ferried the injured to hospitals while locals dug through rubble with bare hands.
Authorities also moved quickly to clear animal carcasses to prevent water contamination. Military rescue teams conducted more than 40 flights, evacuating hundreds of wounded from cut-off areas.
The disaster comes as Afghanistan faces dwindling foreign aid, with funding for humanitarian relief falling sharply since the Taliban's takeover in 2021.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body was preparing to assist, while India and China pledged early relief supplies.
Experts say Afghanistan remains vulnerable to quakes due to poorly built housing and its location near active tectonic fault lines.
