(Al Jazeera Media Network) One of Afghanistan’s worst earthquakes has killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, authorities say as they warn that the death toll could rise.
Helicopters ferried the wounded to hospital on Monday in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar as officials combed the rubble for survivors after a magnitude 6 tremor hit just before midnight on Sunday.
At least 812 people have died, government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference on Monday, as the disaster further stretches the resources of the war-torn nation already grappling with poverty, drops in humanitarian aid, and the pushback of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants by neighbouring countries.
Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told the Reuters news agency that rescue teams had been “mobilized to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided.”
The Ministry of Defence said it has flown 30 doctors and 800 kilograms of medical supplies into Kunar to support hospitals dealing with the aftermath of the disaster. At least 40 flights have carried away 420 wounded and dead citizens, the ministry added.
The last time a powerful earthquake hit Afghanistan, which is prone to tremors due to its location near the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, was in October 2023, when more than 2,000 people were killed.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/1/more-than-800-killed-as-earthquake-hits-eastern-afghanistan