Aid Efforts Intensify as Afghanistan Quake Death Toll Surpasses 1,400 Amidst 'Breaking Point' Humanitarian Crisis

KABUL, Afghanistan – Aid teams are scrambling to reach survivors in remote eastern Afghanistan following Sunday’s devastating magnitude six earthquake, which has already claimed more than 1,400 lives and injured over 3,200 people. UN humanitarians reported the death toll continues to climb, with the total impact potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The de facto authorities, the "Taliban", have issued an appeal for international assistance.

The earthquake, which struck near the Pakistan border around Jalalabad, has caused widespread destruction in mountainous provinces like Nangarhar and Kunar. Many of the deceased were caught while sleeping, as mud and wooden roof structures common in the region collapsed, trapping and suffocating individuals. The Afghan Red Crescent reported that over 8,000 homes have been destroyed, particularly in the mountainous Kunar province, which was closest to the epicentre.

Aid efforts are severely hampered by a combination of challenging terrain and pre-existing humanitarian crises:

Landslides and rockfalls, exacerbated by recent heavy rainfall, have blocked roads, making access "very limited" in the first 24 hours. Some remote villages require aid workers to walk for four to five hours to reach them, then carry the wounded back to overwhelmed city hospitals in places like Jalalabad and Asadabad.

There is "zero connectivity" with some affected communities, impeding rescue and assessment activities and making it difficult to coordinate helicopter landings.

The country, already weakened by war and poverty, faces a severe shortage of resources. Mobile health teams, critical for trauma care and first aid, are in "short supply".

Survivors in the cool highlands urgently require tents, tarpaulins, blankets, hot meals, and food. There is also a critical need for prompt disposal of bodies and dead livestock to prevent "waterborne diseases". Psychosocial support for those who have lost family and loved ones is also underscored as important.

Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s top aid official in Afghanistan, described the country as facing "systemic humanitarian challenges". Already, half of Afghanistan’s population, approximately 22.5 million people, needs assistance. Food insecurity has worsened due to drought, and sweeping funding cuts earlier this year have led to the closure of "hundreds" of aid facilities.

Adding to this dire situation is the return of 2.4 million Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, with over half being forced deportations. UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch noted that many of these returnees are heading precisely to the earthquake-affected areas, further straining already limited resources. The end of a grace period for registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan is expected to trigger "significantly more returns".

"These people already with very little resources are now returned to a disaster zone," Mr. Baloch stated. Mr. Ratwatte further insisted, "We are at breaking point in terms of response to the multiple humanitarian shocks in the country".

Despite the "Taliban's" appeal, international support remains limited. Only Russia formally recognises the "Taliban" government. Aid groups have reportedly struggled to establish contacts due to de facto authority prohibitions, with Amnesty International criticising the "Taliban" for complicating rescue efforts.

However, some international aid has been pledged:

• The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator (CERF) has allocated $5 million.

• The United Kingdom has pledged £1 million, with the Foreign Office ensuring funds are delivered through partners to avoid "Taliban" control.

• China, India, and Switzerland have also promised humanitarian aid.

The 2025 humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan is currently only 28 per cent funded, which significantly impacts the ability to respond to this new emergency on top of an existing crisis. The US, once Afghanistan's largest donor, has seen nearly all its aid programmes cancelled since Donald Trump's presidency, contributing to the country's severe poverty where an estimated 85% of the population lives on less than one dollar a day.

This latest disaster follows a series of deadly 6.3 magnitude earthquakes that struck Herat province in October 2023, killing 1,480 people and injuring 1,950 across 382 villages.