Afghanistan earthquake death toll passes 1,400, says Taliban government
spokesman
[September 02, 2025]
JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll from a major
earthquake in eastern Afghanistan passed 1,400 on Tuesday, with more
than 3,000 people injured, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban government
spokesman, said on social platform X.
Rescuers are scrambling in a “race against time” to reach the
mountainous and remote area devastated by Sunday's powerful 6.0
magnitude earthquake, a U.N. official said, warning of an exponential
rise in the number of casualties.
The quake struck in several provinces, causing extensive damage. It
flattened villages and trapped people under the rubble of homes that
were constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood and were unable to
withstand the shock. Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief
efforts.
“We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing
multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities
has been saturated,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the U.N.'s resident
coordinator for Afghanistan.
He urged the international community to step forward. “These are life
and death decisions while we race against time to reach people.”
It is the third major earthquake since the Taliban seized power in 2021,
and the latest crisis to beset Afghanistan, which is reeling from deep
cuts to aid funding, a weak economy, and millions of people forcibly
returned from Iran and Pakistan.
Ratwatte said that when the walls of wooden and mud homes collapse, the
roof falls on to the occupants, causing injury or death. While the area
was low-density, the earthquake struck when everybody was asleep.
“If you were to model it based on what has happened before, clearly
there’s no question that the casualty rate is going to be rather
exponential,” he said.
The Taliban government, which is only recognized by Russia, has appealed
for assistance from foreign governments and the humanitarian sector.
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A military helicopter carrying Injured victims of an earthquake that
killed many people and destroyed villages in eastern Afghanistan
takes off in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept.
1, 2025. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)
However, help for Afghanistan is in short supply due to competing
global crises and reduced aid budgets in donor countries.
There is also opposition toward the Taliban government’s restrictive
policies on Afghan girls and women, including a ban on them working
for nongovernmental organizations. Earlier this year, the U.S.
gutted aid money to Afghanistan, partly due to concerns that money
was going to the Taliban government.
Kate Carey, who is the deputy head of the U.N. Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, said more than
420 health facilities had closed or were suspended due to the
“massive reduction” in funding, with 80 of them in the eastern
region, the heart of Sunday’s quake.
“The consequence is that the remaining facilities are overwhelmed,
have insufficient supplies and personnel, and are not as close to
the affected populations as the more local facilities at a time when
providing emergency trauma care is needed in the first 24 to 72
hours of the earthquake response,” said Carey.
——
Associated Press journalist Jamey Keaten contributed to this report
from Geneva.
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