Thu Sep 04 08:53:33 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Afghanistan Earthquake: Death Toll Climbs as Rescue Efforts Hampered by Terrain and Aftershocks**
**Kunar Province, Afghanistan –** Rescue teams are battling challenging terrain and persistent aftershocks in eastern Afghanistan to reach isolated villages devastated by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck late Sunday. The disaster has claimed the lives of at least 1,469 people and injured over 3,700, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit the country in recent decades.
The shallow quake, which struck the mountainous region bordering Pakistan, caused widespread destruction, collapsing mud-brick homes and trapping families inside. The United Nations estimates that over 500,000 people have been affected. Kunar province has suffered the highest number of casualties, with neighboring Nangarhar and Laghman provinces also reporting significant injuries and deaths.
Efforts to reach survivors are being severely hampered by ongoing aftershocks, which are triggering rockfalls and blocking access to remote areas. Frightened residents, like Awrangzeeb Noori from Nangarhar province, are forced to sleep outdoors due to the fear of further collapses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced an intensified emergency response, seeking $4 million to provide essential health interventions, expand mobile services, and supply aid. “Every hour counts,” stated Jamshed Tanoli, WHO emergency team lead in Afghanistan. “Hospitals are struggling, families are grieving and survivors have lost everything.”
Taliban authorities reported that previously unreachable areas have now been accessed. The defense ministry has conducted 155 helicopter flights over the past two days, evacuating approximately 2,000 injured people and their relatives to regional hospitals. Coordination camps have been established to oversee rescue operations, medical aid, and burial services.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, and this latest disaster comes as the country is still recovering from a devastating earthquake in Herat province last October that killed over 1,500 people and damaged tens of thousands of homes. The difficult terrain and ongoing aftershocks continue to pose significant challenges to rescue and relief efforts.
First Piper 