Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE**

**Afghanistan Earthquake Kills at Least 10, Toll Expected to Rise**

**Kunar and Nangahar Provinces, Afghanistan** – A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Monday night, leaving at least 10 people dead and 20 injured, according to initial reports. Sources on the ground indicate the death toll is likely to climb as rescue efforts continue and the full extent of the damage is assessed.

The earthquake hit around midnight local time, shaking the provinces of Kunar and Nangahar. Significant damage has been reported across several districts in the mountainous regions, particularly in Kunar, where entire villages are feared to be destroyed.

“Reports from Afghanistan’s Kunar indicate entire villages have been wiped out, people are under the rubble and rescue operations are under way,” reported Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder from Lahore, Pakistan. “Kunar is an impoverished and mountainous region. The houses there are very vulnerable, built of mud and rocks. So they would not be able to withstand this particular earthquake, given the fact that this was shallow. It also happened late in the night, when a lot of people were inside their homes.”

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake’s epicenter was located 27 kilometers (17 miles) east of Jalalabad in Nangahar province, at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles). A smaller, magnitude 4.5 tremor followed shortly after near Basawul, Nangahar.

The earthquake’s impact was felt across a wide area, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces in neighboring Pakistan.

Access to the affected regions, particularly Kunar, is proving challenging, with communications reportedly down.

Experts note that the area is tectonically active, situated at the junction of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Chris Elders, an emeritus professor at Curtin University, explained that the region’s mountainous terrain and high population density exacerbate the impact of earthquakes, often triggering landslides in addition to structural damage.

Afghanistan has a history of devastating earthquakes. In October 2023, a quake in Herat province claimed the lives of at least 2,400 people.

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