A powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Monday night, killing at least 622 people and injuring more than 1,300, officials confirmed. The tremors were felt across multiple districts, including Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi, and Chapadare, and were also reported in parts of neighboring Pakistan.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck around 11:47 pm local time, about 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad, a city of nearly 200,000 people. The shallow quake, with a depth of just 8–10 kilometers, was followed by at least three aftershocks, causing widespread destruction.
Sediqullah Quraishi Badloon, a communications official for Nangarhar province, said most of the deaths occurred in Kunar, while nine casualties were confirmed in Nangarhar. “The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” Afghanistan’s health minister Sharafat Zaman said. Najibullah Hanif, head of Kunar’s provincial information department, added, “Hundreds of injured have been taken to hospitals, and the toll may rise as reports come from remote districts.”
Entire mud and stone houses collapsed in the mountainous border areas, burying families inside. Authorities confirmed that several children were killed when their home’s roof caved in. Rescuers worked through the night, digging through rubble in search of survivors.
Buildings shook for several seconds in Jalalabad, while tremors were felt as far away as Islamabad, nearly 370 kilometers from the epicenter. “We rushed out into the street with our children. The ground wouldn’t stop shaking,” said a resident of Jalalabad.
Afghanistan is highly prone to earthquakes due to its location at the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, particularly in the Hindu Kush region. Frequent quakes, combined with fragile housing and years of conflict, make the country especially vulnerable.
“This disaster has once again shown how fragile our communities are. We need international support for rescue and rebuilding,” an aid worker in Nangarhar said.
