A magnitude 6 earthquake has hit Afghanistan near its border with Pakistan.
The death toll from Sunday night’s disaster has risen to more than 800 people, according to the government. Flooding and debris have hampered rescue efforts.
Here is more about what happened and why Afghanistan is vulnerable to earthquakes:
What happened?
At 11:47pm (19:47 GMT) on Sunday, the earthquake shook Nangarhar and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan. It was 8km (5 miles) deep, making it a shallow tremor.
Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage because the epicentre of the quake and seismic waves are closer to the Earth’s surface. Seismic waves from deep earthquakes have to travel a greater distance to get to the surface, which causes them to lose energy.
Twenty minutes after the first earthquake, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit north of Basawul in Nangarhar province. Since then, multiple tremors have struck near the provincial capital, Jalalabad, and Basawul with magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 5.2.
Where in Afghanistan did the earthquake hit?
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the initial earthquake was centred 27km (17 miles) east northeast of Jalalabad near Kunar province, which is located just north of Nangarhar.
Jalalabad is 150km (93 miles) east of Kabul. It is a key trading city because it is close to neighbouring Pakistan. The city is home to about 300,000 people, according to the municipality.
The majority of the city’s buildings are low-rise structures made primarily from concrete and brick while the outskirts feature houses constructed with mud bricks and wood.
Jalalabad also is an agricultural producer. With the Kabul River flowing through the city, it grows citrus fruits and rice.
How many people have died, and how many are injured?
The death toll currently stands at 812, and more than 3,000 people have been injured, Afghan government spokesman Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid said .
Zabihullah said the casualties could rise further as rescue efforts continue in the mountainous area.
What does a magnitude 6 earthquake mean?
The intensity of earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, which ranges from 1 to 10.
An earthquake of magnitude 6 is considered strong. Objects may fall, and houses may sustain damage.
What do rescue efforts look like?
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said rescue operations are under way and several villages have been destroyed.
Helicopters have transported “335 injured individuals to Nangarhar Regional Hospital”, Afghanistan’s TOLOnews television network reported on Monday.
The Ministry of Defence has dispatched 30 doctors and 800kg (1,764lb) of medicine to Kunar to assist hospitals that are overwhelmed with casualties, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan” in a post on X on Monday.
Guterres continued: “The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas.”
I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today.
I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized…
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 1, 2025
Iran has also offered humanitarian assistance.
“In these difficult moments and great tragedy, while expressing sincere condolences and solidarity with the great people of Afghanistan and the bereaved families, the Islamic Republic of Iran announces its full readiness to send relief, medical and humanitarian aid,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
What is hindering rescue efforts?
Flash floods hit Nangarhar province on Saturday, damaging roads and farmland.
Zakeria Shnizai, an earthquake geologist affiliated with the University of Oxford, explained that “due to the mountainous terrain in Afghanistan, flooding has severely hampered rescue operations by blocking roads, destroying bridges and isolating communities in the earthquake-affected area.”
“These challenges have made it extremely difficult for emergency teams to reach individuals who are injured or trapped under debris. The use of heavy equipment has been restricted, and the risk of landslides or rock avalanches has increased, as already reported,” Shnizai said.
He added that the delivery of critical aid such as food, water and medical supplies has also become harder, resulting in delays in response times.
“Research has shown that seasonal rains and weather conditions can intensify earthquake-induced vulnerabilities by triggering landslides, damaging access routes and disrupting communication lines,” Abdullah Ansari, a research professor at the Earthquake Monitoring Center at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman, told Al Jazeera.
“In the current situation, floodwaters have blocked key transportation corridors, complicating the delivery of aid and slowing rescue teams. This interaction of seismic and hydrological hazards highlights the need for multihazard preparedness strategies to improve resilience in Afghanistan.”
Besides the flash floods, rocky terrain and debris resulting from the earthquakes have hampered rescue efforts. “The roads are not paved. Mostly, they are covered with rocks because of the earthquake, and it’s very difficult to go there right now,” Al Jazeera’s Mohsin Momand reported from Kabul.
Limited resources, poor infrastructure and a lack of comprehensive early-warning systems impede timely evacuations and risk mitigation, Ansari added.
Is Afghanistan prone to earthquakes?
Afghanistan is situated in one of Central Asia’s most seismically active zones where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, leading to frequent moderate to strong earthquakes.
There has been recent seismic activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region was struck by magnitude 5.6 and 5.2 tremors on August 27 and August 19, respectively. Central Pakistan saw a magnitude 5.5 earthquake on June 29 while a magnitude 5.7 quake was recorded on May 10.
In 2023, an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hit Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,000 people. In June 2022, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan’s provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Khost and Nangarhar.
“The ongoing convergence of these plates generates significant crustal stress, causing numerous faults and leading to frequent seismic activity across the country and its surrounding regions,” Shnizai said.
“Several major fault systems traverse the country, including the Chaman, Herat, Kunar, Panjshir, Sarobi and Spin Ghar faults as well as thrust faults in the Hindu Kush region.”
What is the latest situation on the ground?
The highway from Jalalabad to Kunar leading to the epicentre of the deadly earthquake has been reopened for traffic, Afghanistan’s RTA broadcaster reported, citing the Ministry of Public Works.
However, many roads within Kunar remain inaccessible as first responders work to clear rubble, ministry spokesperson Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas said.
