A series of powerful earthquakes struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night (August 31, 2025), killing over 1400 people and injuring more than 3000. The tremors, the strongest measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, were recorded in the Kama district of Nangarhar Province, near the Pakistan border.

Several aftershocks between magnitude 4 and 5 followed, reported the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The shaking has caused massive damage in the country, leaving thousands homeless, after which India extended humanitarian aid to the disaster-struck country.

Afghanistan earthquake: How has India responded?

India swiftly extended humanitarian assistance in the wake of the tragedy. External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar announced on X that 1,000 family tents had been delivered to Kabul, along with 15 tonnes of food supplies sent to Kunar from the Indian Mission in Kabul. Additional consignments, including rice and other essential food items, are being dispatched from India.

“Spoke with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Expressed our condolences at the loss of lives in the earthquake. Conveyed that India has delivered 1000 family tents today in Kabul. 15 tonnes of food material is also being immediately moved by Indian Mission from Kabul to Kunar. Further relief material will be sent from India starting tomorrow,” Jaishankar posted.

Which regions are worst affected?

The provinces of Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, and Nuristan have been the hardest hit, with entire communities displaced. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimates that at least 12,000 people have been directly affected by the disaster. Rescue efforts are hampered by landslides and damaged roads, making remote villages difficult to access.

How is the Afghan government coping?

With Afghanistan’s fragile healthcare system and limited resources, relief efforts are heavily dependent on international aid. Humanitarian organisations are racing against time to reach cut-off areas.

Afghanistan Earthquake: Deadliest disaster in recent times?

This is not the first time Afghanistan has been devastated by a deadly quake. In 2022, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake killed nearly 1,000 people in eastern Afghanistan. That disaster was one of the first major challenges for the Taliban government, which continues to grapple with inadequate infrastructure and limited relief capacity.

Latest 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the country is the deadliest since the one that shook Afghanistan in October 2023. The earthquake killed over 2400 people, however, the UN gave a far lower toll of around 1500 deaths.