KOMPAS.com - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale rocked Afghanistan on Monday (1/9/2025) killing hundreds of people and razing a number of cities and villages.

The tremors were felt in towns near the Pakistan border, with remote mountainous areas being the worst affected.

Rescue efforts were reportedly hampered by heavy rain, landslides and damaged road access.

The disaster comes amid the suffering of Afghans grappling with a food crisis and reduced international aid since the Taliban took power in 2021.

The earthquake was also the third major earthquake to hit Afghanistan since 2021, after the country was previously hit by a series of natural disasters and crises such as poverty, conflict, drought, and the forced repatriation of millions of refugees from Pakistan and Iran.

Location and number of victims

As reported by CNN, Tuesday (2/9/2025), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake occurred about 27 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad City, Nangarhar Province, near the Pakistan border.

This area is a mountainous region which is known to be prone to seismic activity.

The earthquake, which was 8 kilometers deep, was considered shallow, causing greater damage.

Kunar Province was one of the hardest hit, with three villages razed to the ground. Meanwhile, other damage and casualties were also reported in Laghman, Nuristan, and Panjshir Provinces.

The areas were also hit by at least five aftershocks, with the strongest measuring M 5.2 a few hours after the main quake.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said that they also felt the tremors of the earthquake in several cities in the country.

How many people are affected?

The Afghan Red Crescent Society reported at least 1,124 people killed and 3,251 others injured.

Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority spokesman, Yousaf Hammad, said the death toll is expected to rise as the evacuation process continues.

Eyewitnesses recalled how difficult it was to find their families trapped under collapsed houses.

At that time they had to wait for hours for emergency workers to reach the worst-affected areas.