Editor’s Note: This story contains disturbing images.
Afghan Taliban rulers have piled even more misery in a war-torn country that has already worked to cut food shortages and cut foreign aid after a major earthquake killed hundreds and leveled out the entire village, calling for international support.
At least 1,411 people were killed and 3,124 were injured after an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hit towns and villages near the Pakistan border on Sunday, according to Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The catastrophic earthquake destroyed more than 5,400 homes, Mujahid added.
Heavy rain, landslides and damaged roads made it difficult for rescue teams to access remote mountainous areas where earthquakes are most hit. Then, on Tuesday evening, 5.2 times more earthquake occurred northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The depth of Tuesday’s earthquake was about 10km (6.21 miles), USGS said shallow earthquakes tend to become more destructive. The residents of the capital Kabul (west of the epicenter) reportedly felt a trembling. It is unclear whether the new tremor caused casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, recent US aid cuts have been fighting for reducing global aid since the Taliban seized control in 2021, imposing strict rules and punishment on the country’s 43 million people.
Here’s what we know about earthquakes and rescue operations:
The Sunday earthquake hit just before 27 kilometers (16.77 miles) northeast of Jalalabad. This is according to USGS, a bustling city in Nangarhar province, near the border with Pakistan, in a mountainous region known for seismic activity.
According to the USGS, the earthquake was relatively shallow and was about 8 km (4.97 miles).
The earthquake destroyed adjacent Kunar province and three villages, Reuters reported, citing local government. Damages and injuries have also been reported in Ragman, Nuristan and Panjir, according to the Taliban government and humanitarian workers.
Pakistan’s Weather Service said the earthquake was also felt in several nearby Pakistan cities.
According to the USGS, the area has at least five aftershocks, the strongest at 5.2 magnitude in the hours after the first tremor.
This is the third major tremor to hit since 2021 in Afghanistan, facing a series of artificial and natural disasters, including poverty, conflict, drought and forced return of millions of refugees by neighbors Pakistan and Iran.
The powerful earthquakes in 2022 and 2023 have killed more than 3,000 people in Afghanistan’s Paktika and Herat provinces, by some estimates.
According to the USGS, nearly half a million people are likely to experience strong shaking and strong shaking, which can cause considerable damage to poorly structured structures.
Yousaf Hamad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Agency, said the number of deaths and injuries is likely to increase.
“These numbers could change significantly as the injured are evacuated,” he told the Associated Press.
Photos from the aftermath showed a row of brick houses swept under muddy pieces, just like residents bucking down a huge pile of concrete that fell on them.
According to the Associated Press, witnesses recalled groping for their loved ones trapped under the collapsed house as they waited for emergency workers for hours to reach the worst area.
“I was half-hearted and couldn’t go outside,” Sadikura, a resident of Nurgarh in Kunar Province, told the Associated Press. His wife and two sons were killed, he added.
Ahmad Zameer, 41, a resident of Kabul, more than 100 miles from the epicenter, told CNN that the earthquake had shaken his neighborhood. He added that everyone in the nearby apartment building ran into the street, fearing they would be trapped inside.
A video obtained by CNN shows a man digging with a shovel to search for survivors under a tile rub in Kunar province. Others showed a chaotic scene as officials worked to extend the injured into helicopters to be airlifted to hospitals.
The war-torn country is in the agony of the humanitarian crisis that has deteriorated since the Taliban took power in 2021 after the chaotic US withdrawal.
Many international aid groups then retreated abroad, noting that they would cooperate with the oppressive regime known for persecution of women and girls.
Earlier this year, the White House suspended more than $1.7 billion in US aid contracts supporting dozens of programs in Afghanistan. The UK, France and Germany followed quickly.
Humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan fell to $767 million in 2025, down from $3.8 billion in 2022, according to Reuters.
World Vision Afghanistan National Director Tamindride Silva said the vast number of challenges the country faces has made it difficult for humanitarian organisations to support Afghans.
“This is not the first shock we have faced this year. We are suffering from drought. We support the returnee response. We are still working with people affected by the Herat earthquake. There is a major malnutrition crisis in the country.”
“So it’s not just a lack of funds, but a compounding interest in the shock after the country’s shock, and already stretching very thin resources.”
Body bags are one of the biggest needs in terms of supplies, she said. It also mentions basic essentials such as clothing, hygiene products, and cooking utensils.
The Taliban has appealed to the world for more assistance to support relief efforts, but so far few countries have stepped up.
“A lot of people have lost their lives and homes here, so we need it,” Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told Reuters.
The United Arab Emirates has dispatched food, medical supplies and tents to areas hit by the earthquake in Afghanistan, a search and rescue team and state-run Emirates news agency WAM reported on Monday.
On Tuesday, the UK announced a new £1 million ($1.3 million) emergency fund to be split between the UN Population Fund and the International Red Cross to support families affected by the earthquake.
“The UK is grateful to the aid workers on the ground who help us provide support to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable people,” Foreign Secretary David Lamey said in a statement.
The European Commission said on Tuesday that European leaders donated $1.16 million (1 million euros) of humanitarian emergency funds, as well as tents, clothing, medical supplies and other aid stocks.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said he is ready to provide disaster relief assistance “as per Afghanistan’s needs and within its capabilities.”
Meanwhile, India has delivered 1,000 family tents to Kabul and 15 tons of food aid to Kunar, but Foreign Minister Sabramanyam Jaishankar said, according to Reiter.
The US State Department’s Southern and Central Asia Affairs Bureau expanded in its post to X, saying that it “spoken my heartfelt sadness to the people of Afghanistan,” but there was no immediate assistance from the US.
