Afghanistan Earthquake's Death Toll Surpasses 2000

The eastern provinces of Afghanistan have been struck by a devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake, with the official death toll climbing beyond 2,000. As of September 4, 2025, Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat reported 2,205 fatalities and 3,640 injuries, many of which occurred in the hard-hit Kunar province.

Rescue workers continue to pull bodies from the wreckage of collapsing homes, but their efforts are severely constrained by the mountainous terrain and blocked roads. Landslides triggered by aftershocks and heavy rain have made many villages, such as Mazar-e-Dara and Nurgal, nearly inaccessible.

International aid has begun to flow in, with the UAE deploying rescue teams and delivering vital supplies like medical kits and temporary shelters. Despite these efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that time is running out for those still trapped beneath the debris.

Afghanistan’s fragile infrastructure—a result of decades of conflict and chronic poverty—has further hampered the relief operation. Many affected households are constructed from mud and stone and were quickly reduced to rubble by the quake and its aftershocks.

Healthcare facilities are overwhelmed, and supplies are running dangerously low, prompting WHO to appeal for $4 million to bolster health services and deploy mobile clinics.

The socio-political backdrop only adds to the crisis. The loss of U.S. aid earlier this year devastated emergency reserves, while the country grapples with severe drought and a surge of returning refugees from Pakistan and Iran. These pressures compound the humanitarian challenge posed by the quake.

Even as the region reels from the disaster, new waves of displacement and border strain are emerging: more than 6,300 Afghans have crossed into quake-hit Nangarhar province from Pakistan, where campaigns to expel undocumented migrants continue unabated

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