Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to over 2,000 as Aid Struggles to Reach Isolated Areas
Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to over 2,000 as Aid Struggles to Reach Isolated Areas
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The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan earlier this week has risen to 2,205, according to a spokesperson for the Taliban government—The Guardian reported. The magnitude 6.0 quake hit remote, mountainous areas of Kunar province late Sunday, destroying villages and triggering landslides that buried homes and families.
Most residents in the region live in fragile mud-brick houses built along steep valleys, which collapsed under the force of the quake. According to Islamic Relief, around 98% of buildings in the affected region have been either damaged or completely destroyed. Aid groups warn that survivors are in urgent need of shelter, medical care, food, and clean water.
One of the survivors, now sheltering at a UN medical camp in Nurgal, one of the worst-hit districts, said, “The earthquake jolts are still happening. It is impossible to live there. We’re living under open skies.” Rugged terrain and continued aftershocks are hampering relief efforts.
The Taliban has deployed helicopters and army commandos to assist, but aid workers say many areas are accessible only on foot due to landslides and rockfalls. Humanitarian agencies are also facing major funding gaps. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said it now has fewer than 450 staff in Afghanistan—less than half its 2023 capacity. “We have only $100,000 available for emergency response. There’s an immediate $1.9 million funding gap,” said NRC advocacy adviser Maisam Shafiey.
Dr. Shamshair Khan, working at the UN medical camp, warned that the current resources are not enough. “These people need more medicine, more tents, more food and water. These people are in great pain,” he said. Even before the earthquake, Afghanistan was already grappling with widespread poverty, prolonged drought, and the return of nearly 2 million people deported from neighboring countries. The recent disaster has deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis.
