A very shallow earthquake measuring 6.0 at a depth of just 8 kilometers struck northeastern Afghanistan at approximately 11:47 p.m. local time on the 31st. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed at least 800 deaths and over 2,500 injuries. Many people worked to dig up and remove bodies, working to transport the injured to hospitals. Muladad, director of the Kunar Provincial Hospital, stated,"The hospital has entered a state of emergency, with a new patient arriving every five minutes."

622 people killed, hundreds are missing while over 2000 people are injured due to the deadly #earthquake in Eastern Afghanistan.

The BBC reported that the widespread lack of earthquake-resistant housing in Afghanistan, the fact that the earthquake struck near midnight, and the difficulty for many families to escape while asleep, combined with the remote location and rugged roads of the affected area, resulted in heavy casualties. Taliban spokesman Mujahid issued a statement confirming at least 800 deaths and over 2,500 injuries. Government and UN relief teams are heading to the hardest-hit areas.

Many tragic scenes during and after the earthquake circulated on social media platform X. Many people were buried alive by collapsed buildings while they were sleeping. After dawn, many survivors used tools or their bare hands to dig in the ground, hoping to rescue the injured trapped in the rubble. Many people even wrapped corpses in cloth and carried them away.

One resident, Faridullah Fazli, told the BBC via WhatsApp that the earthquake was so powerful that he was constantly helping to carry the dead and injured. He revealed,"The strong earthquake created an atmosphere of fear and terror everywhere..." The Taliban noted that the vast majority of casualties occurred in Kunar Province, the epicenter and hardest-hit area, and a large number of injured were sent to local hospitals. The director of the provincial hospital, Muradad, stated that the hospital had entered a state of emergency, calling it a"crisis he had never anticipated." The lack of medical resources and beds left many injured lying on the ground. A heartbroken Muradad said,"Every five minutes or less, a new patient is brought to my hospital. The situation is truly dire..."

The death toll from the earthquake in Afghanistan has risen to 800, with 1,500 injured. These figures are cited by Reuters, citing the Taliban.

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Taliban-led health authorities in Kabul said they were struggling to reach remote areas to confirm the official death toll. The government has appealed to international organizations for help, and the United Nations has dispatched rescue teams to the disaster area, predicting the scale of casualties will increase further.