An injured Afghan man receives treatment at a hospital after an earthquake in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad on September 1, 2025. (Aimal Zahir/AFP/Getty Images.) Source: CNN

A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, killing at least 610 people and injuring more than 1,300 others, according to officials. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams battle to reach remote, mountainous communities cut off by landslides and destroyed roads.

The quake hit shortly before midnight about 27 kilometres northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province at a shallow depth of 8 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The tremor sent residents fleeing into the streets as buildings shook across the region and into neighbouring Pakistan.

Abdul Mateen Qaney, spokesperson for the Afghan Interior Ministry, confirmed widespread destruction in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, where a “large number” of homes collapsed.

Video footage shows injured survivors being airlifted to Jalalabad, where hospitals are now overwhelmed with casualties. Authorities say rescue operations are being hampered by blocked roads and continuing aftershocks, the strongest of which measured 5.2.

“The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site,” said Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X that all available resources are being mobilised: “Local officials and residents are making all efforts to rescue affected ones. Support teams from the capital and nearby provinces are also on their way.”

The United Nations in Afghanistan said it was “deeply saddened” by the disaster and confirmed that emergency relief teams are already on the ground.

Nearly half a million people likely felt strong to very strong shaking, raising fears of further casualties in poorly built rural areas.

The quake adds to Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis. The country, already reeling from hunger, aid cuts, and economic collapse, has been hit repeatedly by deadly tremors. In October 2023, more than 2,000 people were killed after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the western region.