6.2 magnitude earthquake hits southeastern Afghanistan, third since Sunday

This was the third tremor in the same region since Sunday.

The first earthquake of magnitude 6, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in recent years, unleashed widespread damage and destruction in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar on Sunday, when it struck at a shallow depth of 10 km.

Civil defense workers, locals, and army soldiers clear rubble as they search for survivors after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing many people and destroying villages, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (Photo: AP)

A second quake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday caused panic and interrupted rescue efforts as it sent rocks sliding down mountains and cut off roads to villages in remote areas.

More than 6,700 homes have been destroyed, authorities have said. The United Nations has warned the toll could rise with people still trapped under rubble as time runs out for survivors.

Thousands of Afghans left homeless

Survivors have been left homeless and aid groups warn of dwindling resources, with the United Nations and other agencies citing a critical need for food, shelter and medical supplies.

Rescue workers on Thursday pulled bodies from the rubble of homes razed in Afghanistan’s earthquakes as the confirmed death toll topped 2,200, while homeless survivors faced a bleak future with global aid agencies warning of dwindling resources.

Residents and Taliban soldiers shield themselves from the wind of a helicopter taking off as efforts continue after Sunday night’s powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck several provinces, in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Nava Jamshidi)

Search for survivors continue

Search operations continued in the quake-hit mountainous eastern areas, the Taliban administration said, announcing a new death toll of 2,205 with at least 3,640 people injured.

In some of the worst-affected villages in Kunar province, two out of three people had been killed or injured, while 98% of buildings were either destroyed or damaged by the tremors, according to an assessment by British-based charity Islamic Relief Worldwide.