Search for survivors continues as Afghan quake death toll jumps to 1,411

An injured person is carried to a military helicopter evacuating victims of an earthquake in Mazar Dara in Afghanistan's Kunar province, September 1, 2025. — AFP 

Search for Survivors Underway After Deadly Afghanistan Earthquake Strikes

Afghanistan Search for Survivors Continues After Deadly 6.0 Earthquake Kills Over 800

A powerful magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 800 and injuring thousands. Rescue operations in remote mountain villages face landslides, aftershocks, and urgent humanitarian needs.

An injured person is carried to a military helicopter evacuating victims of an earthquake in Mazar Dara in Afghanistan's Kunar province, September 1, 2025. — AFP The death toll in the earthquake in Afghanistan, the worst in the region in years, has surged to 1,411, the Taliban...

Eastern Afghanistan was shaken to its core late Saturday by a powerful magnitude 6.0 earthquake, striking near Jalalabad and delivering one of the deadliest blows in recent memory. The undeclared toll has climbed alarmingly—from over 800 confirmed dead on Monday to more than 1,400 as of today—with thousands left injured, homeless, or unaccounted for.

A shallow tremor, barely six miles beneath the surface, collapsed entire villages in hard-hit provinces like Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, and Nuristan, especially where homes are hastily constructed from mud and wood. In Mazar-e-Dara’s Nurgal district, some villages were nearly wiped out, with reports citing 90% devastation of dwellings and heavy casualties.

A Nation in Mourning and Overwhelmed

Survivors recount harrowing escape from crumbling homes. One elderly Afghan described how their abode collapsed around them overnight. “Children… under the rubble. Elderly… under the rubble,” they said, speaking to the raw trauma unfolding. Rescue teams and neighbors scrambled past rubble and landslides by foot and helicopter—heavy rains preceding the quake have worsened conditions.

Local clinics and hospitals, already stretched thin, were overwhelmed. One field hospital in Asadabad admitted continuous victims with limited resources. The United Nations warned that many remain trapped under debris, and in the absence of rapid rescue, fatalities continue to rise.

Aftershocks Compound Toll, Aid Mobilization Begins

Just two days following the initial tremor, a magnitude 5.5 aftershock struck—triggering renewed landslides and hampering relief efforts. Over 5,400 homes have now been destroyed, and entire villages remain cut off behind debris and volatile terrain.

The Taliban government has mobilized available resources: deploying 155 helicopter flights to evacuate the injured and distribute aid amid rugged, nearly impassable roads. The U.N. responded with rapid funding—$5 million from emergency reserves and an equal match from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. Multiple countries including the U.K., EU, India, UAE, and China have begun pledging relief supplies and funding.

Nevertheless, decades of underinvestment and donor fatigue—exacerbated by the Taliban’s rise—have undermined coordination. Health services, infrastructure, and aid delivery remain fragile ahead of winter’s harsh temperatures.

Unsung Heroes Amid Disaster

In remote mountain villages, it’s neighbors, volunteers, and local units who are leading rescues—often digging through rubble by hand. In some areas, aid teams have trekked over 20 kilometers on foot to reach isolated hamlets, carrying essential medical gear across landslides.

Desperate survivors are scrambling to create makeshift graves with planks and shovels. With graveyards overwhelmed, communities are laying to rest loved ones where they fall. Relief coordination centers have been set up in districts like Khas Kunar, though formal shelters remain limited or absent.

A Nation Under Siege by Natural and Human Challenges

This disaster compounds Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian reality. Years of drought, food insecurity, refugee returns, and economic collapse have already pushed millions to the brink. The earthquake’s devastation underscores how fragile survival has become—no longer just war or famine, but nature itself responding harshly.

Clusters of villages wiped out, local governments overwhelmed, and aid organizations struggling to deliver relief amid cold winds and rain set a grim stage. Many families lost everything—homes, possessions, and memories—in one night.